Untie my Heart
by Simin-chan
Summary: "I don't care if you're a superstar, or an international sensation. To me, you're my Tohru - my morning beauty. You don't need a guitar to impress me, you don't need a beautiful voice to win my heart. I want us to spend every moment like it is our last. I'm never letting you go. I love you, Tohru." His soft words flew through my ears like the rhythm of the wind... untying my heart.
1. The Cage is Broken

**A/N: Okay, I've tried different stories, and none of them were working... so I decided to go with this one – and this one only. I'm not changing it, and I'm not deleting it – no matter how much I might start to hate it.**

**No Sohma Curse, and this isn't associated with a Hindi film, but there are a few songs in Hindi from movies in here so watch for the disclaimers. Review if you want me to write an original song for this story.**

_Dear Diary,_

_I don't know what to do. I'm in a maze – and I can't seem to get out. Sometimes, you need to make choices in life – but they involve a lot of compromising, which I hate._

_Microphone, guitar, and me – on a big stage – in front of thousands of people – cheering my name – singing – dancing – that's where I want to be. I want to be a star. I want to be the biggest star Japan has seen. I want to go out there, sing, and be happy. Can't I have that much?_

_I have too many songs in my head, but not enough paper and pens. I have too much to sing about, but not enough people. I also have no supporters with me. No one wants me to be a singer. No one wants me to be on the stage. They say I'm better off where I am right now, and don't try to make anything worse._

_Music is the only way I express my thoughts with. Sometimes words aren't enough, and sometimes words are too much. How do I convince my parents to let me be whoever I want? What would I have to sacrifice? My home? My family? My friends? What is it going to be, and more importantly, when am I going to find that person who will believe in me no matter how bizarre my ideas are? Will they have faith in me no matter how stupid my goals are? Will they be accepting of me? I wonder if there is a person like that..._

Tohru closed her diary after finishing her last sentence, and put it away on her bookshelf. She went to the window and looked out: it was raining. Gentle patters were making a soft rhythm, and the wind gave it a nice hum. She snapped her fingers softly, and closed her eyes. A moment later, she went and grabbed her guitar. She started strumming it gently, and smiled.

Tohru Honda – a girl with many dreams, but little hope. She had everything that would take her to be a star, but she had no hope – or support. She was alone, with no one to hold on to.

Her friends didn't think she could be a singer – because of her parents. Her family thought she couldn't be a singer – because of her parents. Her parents – oh forget it.

Tohru kept strumming her guitar, humming a melody. The wind and the raindrops were her conductors. She stopped and took out a big notebook from her closet drawer. The book had pages and pages of song. She turned a few pages and found what she was looking for.

It was a song – the first song she ever wrote. Tohru was 10 when she got this big notebook from her uncle. She was told to use it for school and to take notes, but she used it for her songs. Her parents were aware of it, but they never stopped her.

She held the papers up, and read the lyrics. It sounded like a breezy poem to her. She put the papers down, grabbed her guitar, and started singing.

**Disclaimer: Okay folks! This song is called **_**Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai**_** from the movie Jism (Body). I strongly recommend that you listen to this song when you read this part of the story. It's going to sound really nice and romantic!**

_Jaadu hai nasha hai, madhoishyaa. __(_It's magic, a spell, intoxication_.)_

_Tujhko bhulaake ab jaa'uun kahaan. (_Forgetting you, where could I go?)

_Jaadu hai nasha hai, madhoishiyaa._

_Tujhko bhulaake ab jaa'uun kahaan._

_Dekhti hai, jis tarah se, teri nazare mujhe (_The way you look at me_)_

_Main khud ko chupaa'un kahaan (_Where could I hide myself_)_

_Jaadu hai nasha hai, madhoishiyaa._

_Tujhko bhulaake ab jaa'uun kahaan._

_Dekhti hai, jis tarah se, teri nazare mujhe_

_Main khud ko chupaa'un kahaan_

_Jaadu hai nasha hai, madhoishiyaa._

_Tujhko bhulaake ab jaa'uun kahaan._

Even though not an Indian, Tohru loved Indian music. She found them to be very heart touching, and very beautiful. She learned Hindi herself, and began writing songs of Hindi. _A love so intoxicating…_

_Yeh pal hai apna to is pal ko jee le (_This moment belongs to us, so let us live it)

___Shwalo ki tarha zarah chal ke jee le (Let us live burning, like flames)__  
__Pal jhapakte kho na jana (Don't disappear in a fleeting moment)__  
__Chuke karlo yakin na jane yeh pal paaye kahan (Touching you, let me make sure; who knows when I will have this moment again)_

_Jaadu hai nasha hai, madhoishiyaa._

_Tujhko bhulaake ab jaa'uun kahaan._

"Tohru!"

Tohru stopped playing her guitar, and put it down. Her parents were calling her to come downstairs for dinner. Sometimes she couldn't hear them when they called, and her father would have to storm in and drag her to the table – by the ear.

"I'm coming!" Tohru called back. She took a deep breath, and let it out. She took the notebook and put it back in her closet drawer. She closed her curtains, turned off the lights, and went downstairs.

As she was making her way downstairs, she was greeted by the sounds of raised voices – well actually raised voice. Her mother and father were in an argument.

Tohru looked worried – her parents rarely argued, and even if they did, it wouldn't result to yelling.

"Are you telling me you are supporting her?!"

Katsuya Honda, Tohru's father yelled at her mother, Kyoko Honda. He was yelling about Tohru's "passion" for singing.

"Yes I am, and you should be too!" yelled Kyoko, equally furious, "Look Katsuya, she's our only daughter. Let her live her life!"

"That's the reason why I gave her this much freedom in the first place! Being our only daughter, I gave her the freedom of a son _and _daughter. I let her make all her decisions, but not this time!"

Tohru leaned against the wall, and had a shocked appearance in her face. _My mother supports me? _The thought is still buzzing in her head.

"Why not? What's wrong if she becomes a singer?"

Katsuya sighed, "Listen Kyoko, I have standards, and I drew a line to everything. This line isn't meant to be crossed. No one in our family has become a singer – or even a poet. Not even writers, movie makers – nothing! Why, you ask? Because they stayed in the border! They knew their hard work in school wouldn't pay off with this kind of work! Look at our family members: businessmen, politicians, and teachers – see? They were able to be successful, and I want my daughter to be one of them! I don't want her crossing the line –

"I'm going to cross it, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

Katsuya turned around to find Tohru behind him with her arms crossed. "I listened to you all my life! What freedom are you talking about? I was surrounded by your orders!"

Anger was boiling up Katsuya's eyes. Tohru had never dared to talk back to her father, but she did today.

"I asked you for a guitar, and you yelled at me and locked me in for the night. That guitar was paid by me – and me only! You start yelling at me whenever I sing, you rip all the songs I try writing, so I have to write them at night or outside and lock them up in the closet drawer, and you call that freedom?"

Katsuya started breathing heavily – his face was turning red. He hated the way Tohru talked to her, and he felt like slapping her.

"I had to lock up my happiness so you wouldn't get the chance to destroy it. If this is freedom, then I had enough!"

Katsuya lost it, "Shut up, you pathetic child! Don't you dare talk to me –

"I'll talk back if I have to. I can't take anymore of this."

Katsuya smirked, while anger covered his face, "What are you going to do, huh?"

Tohru looked at her mother, who looked very worried. She wanted to stop her husband, but her feet refused to move.

"I'm moving out!"


	2. New Home

**A/N: Okay, how's it going? I need reviews people! I review per person would make the biggest difference! I'm going to update quick and stuff because my finals are coming up and I can't take up much time and work on this. I gotta tell you, it might not be good without the usual effort I might put in it.**

**If I don't thank the guest reviews, please forgive me, the review comes in like two days later.**

Tohru was standing face-to-face with her father, who still had anger inside him.

"That's right. If you don't want me to live my life, I'll live it on my own!"

With that, Katsuya slapped her – so hard that blood was dripping down from her cheek. She crashed to the floor – scraping her forehead.

"Do whatever you want, I don't care!" Katsuya yelled, "You selfish, no-good creature! Leave at once; you are no longer our daughter!"

Grabbing onto her forehead, Tohru slowly got up. A tear slid down her bleeding cheek. She looked at him with great sadness.

"You want me to leave – you got yourself a deal!"

After she said those words, she stormed upstairs to her room. She took out her big backpack and started packing what she could. She left enough room for her notebook to fit in.

Her mother came rushing up the stairs, and came inside her room exhausted, "Tohru, please don't leave! Your father wants the best in you!"

Tohru put the bag down and shook her head. "He doesn't know the best for me. I know the best for myself. I know myself better than anyone in this planet, and nothing can change that!"

Kyoko went silent while tears streamed out of her eyes, "I still love you Tohru. You will always be my daughter. You want to leave me?"

Tohru looked down to the floor, and her tears fell on it. She walked towards Kyoko and held her hand.

"I'm not leaving you, mom. I'm leaving this cage. I want to be free and grant my desires. I want to walk on the streets with a guitar strapped to my back, and not be ashamed. I want to be up on a stage and sing. But I can't do that unless I leave this cage."

Kyoko nodded, "I'm sorry about this, but will you take me with you?"

Tohru looked shocked – her mother wanted to run away with her? That wasn't a good idea. What about her father?

"Mom, you can't. You can't put dad through this. He might not love me, but I love him. I'm giving him what he wants."

Tohru slowly started wiping off her mother's tears.

"He needs you, mom. He loves you, right? If he didn't, he wouldn't have married you."

She then went to grab her guitar case. She opened it and put her blue guitar in it. She put her backpack on her back and carried the guitar case.

"Take care of yourself, bye."

She left the room, and went downstairs. She looked at her dad one last time.

"I'm telling you this the first – and last time. You know you don't love me, but don't forget that I love you. I'm doing this for you so I wouldn't be in the way."

Katsuya didn't face Tohru. He kept staring at the wall – listening to every word she said.

"You raised and nurtured me, and I will always be grateful for that. But I know now that you had enough of me. So I'm leaving this house in front of you, and I just crossed the line you drew in many years ago!"

Katsuya slowly closed his eyes and sighed. Tears also dropped from his eyes to the floor. Tohru looked towards the door and said, "I will never stop thinking about you, no matter where I am. But I will always live with the fact that I never got to have the love of a father."

Kyoko stood next to the staircase, crying softly. She laid her eyes on her husband, who had his hand on his eyes. He was crying...

Tohru walked up to the door, and opened it. The rain was still pouring, and thunder was still to be heard.

Tohru looked back, "Don't forget – I love you!"

And with that, she stepped outside, breaking the boundaries of her father's ruled and broke the cage that she was trapped in for all those years.

She entered the rainstorm that was pouring down on her. The water felt cold, and the wind brushed against her bruised cheek. Her forehead was still bleeding, but the pain wasn't there anymore.

Tohru stopped by a near-by bus-stop, and waited for the bus to come. She was planning to go to Kagura's house, and ask her if she can live with them,

Kagura was Tohru's best friend. Ever since their elementary days, they were inseparable. They literally grew up together, and they were always there for each other. Tohru just hoped she would be there for her at a time like this.

A bus was heading towards the stop. As she was going to go in the bus, she found Kagura getting off it. Kagura saw Tohru, and waved happily. But her smile disappeared after she saw her bruises.

"Tohru, what happened to you?" Kagura asked as she was examining the wounds, "Who did this to you?"

Tohru gave a small smile and said, "Let's get on the bus, and then I'll tell you."

"Okay, you're my hero!" exclaimed Kagura after hearing the story. Kagura was amazed at the fact that Tohru was able to stand up for herself after so long.

Tohru laughed, "So can I stay at your place?"

Kagura nodded, "Okay, but one rule!"

Tohru looked curious, "And what is that?"

Kagura punched Tohru's shoulder gently, "I don't want any wet towels on the beds, okay?"

Tohru rolled her eyes, "Fine!"

Kagura stared at the front of the bus, "So, how angry did your dad get?"

Tohru shrugged, "Can't you tell by the bruises?"

Kagura sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Tohru asked.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this."

Tohru smiled, and put her arm around her friend, "I still have the people I love."

Kagura smiled in return. She loved her best friend.

When the two of them came to Kagura's house, they didn't find anyone there. Kagura rang the doorbell a few times, but no one answered the door.

"Looks like my parents went out for the day," said Kagura. She got a pair of spare keys out from her bag and unlocked the door, "But Kyo was here this morning, did he leave –

Just when Kagura was least expecting it, Kyo jumped out behind the big brown bookshelf, and scared Kagura.

"OH MY GOD!" screamed Kagura. Tohru walked in the room to see what was going on. She came to see an orange-haired boy with red eyes. He helped Kagura up on her feet.

Tohru was shaking her head, "Okay, what happened?!"

Kagura laughed, "Sorry Tohru, I didn't see that coming. Oh, you haven't met Kyo!"

Kyo offered a hand to Tohru, who took it without a hesitation, "Hi, I'm Tohru Honda."

Kyo smiled, "Kyo Sohma, pleasure to meet you."

Tohru nodded, "You too. So you and Kagura are..."

Kyo laughed, "Yeah! We have been dating for about a year."

Tohru looked confused, "Then how come I never seen you?"

Kyo shrugged. Kagura walked up to Tohru saying, "My mistake Tohru, I forgot to tell you. Sorry, dear!"

Tohru smiled, "No problem, so where's my room?"

Kyo had a confused look, "Room? Are you staying here?"

Kagura nodded, "Her parents kicked her out. Can't you tell by the bruises?"

Kyo gasped, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean –

Tohru raised her hand and shook her head, "You have nothing to apologize for. I actually kicked myself out, and when I brought this out to father, he – yeah."

A sad look crossed Kyo's face, "Are you okay?"

Tohru nodded, "I'll be fine."

Kyo's attention fell on the guitar beside the door, "Hey, you play guitar?"

"A little," said Tohru. She took the case and opened it. She took out her guitar and started strumming it.

"Oh wow," said Kyo while he was listening, "I think we are going to be good friends!"

"And it better stay that way," said Kagura as she entered the room with hot cocoa, "Your favourite Tohru!"

Kyo took a cup and handed it to Tohru. "Thanks!" she said as she sipped it, "Wow Kagura, this is the best cocoa you've made so far!"

"Aww!" Kagura smiled. They drank the cocoa and started talking about the incident with Tohru and her parents.

"So you had the guts to stand up to him like that, get beaten, and just get out? Nice!"

Tohru shrugged at Kyo's statement, "I don't look at myself as a hero or anything, but I believe what I did was right."

"It was, Tohru," said Kagura, "You did the right thing."

Tohru gave a small smile. The three friends kept talking and talking until it was time for Kyo to go home. Tohru changed into her nightwear and flopped straight to bed.

Kagura offered to share her room with her. Her parents agreed to let Tohru stay after hearing what happened. Tohru had a few bandages on her face to stop the bleeding on her face.

Kagura fixed the sofa bed, and feel on top of it. She was about to switch off the lights when Tohru asked her, "Kagura?"

"Yes Tohru?"

"What am I going to do know?"

Kagura sighed, "To be honest, I don't know. That's up to you. You said you knew yourself better than anyone else, so I'm leaving this on you."

Tohru groaned, "I don't know everything about myself! Sometimes people need help."

"Then why didn't you stay home?"

"Because I knew dad was wrong on the spot." Tohru looked up at the ceiling, "There are some things you know, and some things you don't. What I know about myself now is more than what anyone will know about me."

Kagura gave off a small smile, "That should be enough to get you through this."

Tohru shrugged, "I hope so."

Kagura turned off the lights, and she fell asleep instantly. Tohru kept staring out the window beside her. She was _still _in the maze. It's not over yet.

_But believe me, I will get there!_


	3. I Found Hope

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you for reading my story! I got five guest reviews! They know who they are so thank you to all of them! Please keep reviewing so you can bring the inner author in me!**

Tohru opened her eyes – which met with the bright sunlight. She checked the time: 7:15. _Shoot! _She looked around for Kagura, but found her nowhere. She got out of bed, and walked towards the washroom to freshen up. But as she got out of the bedroom, a wonderful smell fell upon her nose. She walked in the kitchen, and found Kagura cooking breakfast.

"Hey Tohru! You hungry?"

Tohru couldn't believe her eyes; rice, grilled and salted salmon fillets, miso soup, sour plums...

"I'll be here in five minutes!" Tohru said as she ran to the washroom to get fresh.

Ten minutes later, Kagura and Tohru were at the table, eating all that food Kagura made for them.

"Kagura, you are amazing!" Tohru said as she finished her sour plum, "How long did this take you?"

"Well the rice I cooked last night while you and Kyo were talking – so excluding that – I think two hours."

Tohru's jaw dropped, "Two hours?! I could've just gotten some cereal!"

Kagura laughed, "Okay, from now on you get to prepare your own breakfast!"

Tohru smiled, "Thanks for making this!"

Kagura put her hand on Tohru's shoulder, "Oh come on! You're my friend, and you are going through a difficult time!"

Tohru looked down on the floor, "I'm thinking of being a busker to start off with,"

Kagura looked curious, "A busker – those street musicians? Why would –

"I want to see if other people want me to be a singer." Tohru cut her off, "Maybe my family didn't, but what about the public?"

Kagura nodded in agreement, "Okay, but when are you going?"

Tohru stood up, "Right now!"

Kagura went wide-eyed, "Now? But you need to get things organized, and you need to know where you have to play, and –

"Sometimes..." Tohru cut her again, "Life doesn't need planning. Sometimes things just happen, without a trace."

Kagura smiled, "You sure are strange."

Tohru winked, "That's just who I am."

Tohru walked into the bedroom, got dressed in a blue sparkling tank top and black skin-tight jeans, and grabbed her blue guitar. When she walked out, Kagura was by the door.

"Good luck, pal!" she said as she went over and hugged Tohru.

"Thanks." Tohru said while hugging her back.

They separated, and Kagura went in the kitchen and came back with a bag.

Tohru opened it and found a bunch of cookies inside it, "I thought you would get hungry, so I packed a little something for you."

Tohru smiled, "When will you stop doing me favours?"

Kagura shrugged, "Hard to say – depends on how annoying you are!"

"Shut up!" exclaimed Tohru and slapped Kagura on her shoulder, "Anyways, I gotta go!"

Tohru opened the door, and left the building, while Kagura waved from there.

* * *

While walking down the road, Tohru tried to find the perfect spot to perform. _Maybe I should start small; _she said to herself, _I'll play in the park!_

Tohru headed to a small park that was a few blocks away from Kagura's place. There weren't many people there – about 60 or 70. She went over to a nearby bench, and put her guitar case down. She unzipped it, and sat down on the bench. She put the guitar on her lap, and started strumming it.

**Disclaimer: This is one of my absolute favourite songs, and it's "Saans (Breath). It's from the movie Jab Tak Hai Jaan (As long as there is live). I don't own it, sadly. Listen to it, you guys are NOT going to regret it, I promise!**

_Saans me teri saans mili toh mujhe saans aayi _(When my breath met yours, I was able to breathe)_  
__Mujhe saans aayi, Mujhe saans aayi_ (I was able to breathe x2)

_Saans me teri saans mili toh mujhe saans aayi__  
__Mujhe saans aayi, Mujhe saans aayi__  
_

_Rooh ne chhu li jism ki khushboo tu jo paas aayi _(My soul touched your body's fragrance, when you came close by)_  
__Tu jo paas aayi, tu jo paas aayi _(When you came close by x2)

_Saans me teri saans mili toh mujhe saans aayi__  
__Mujhe saans aayi, Mujhe saans aayi__  
_  
As she was singing, people gathered around the bench to get a better look. They started putting money in her guitar case, and clapped.

_That's beautiful!_

_Did she write that?_

_Amazing!_

_I never heard such a voice in my life!_

Tohru smiled at the sight of this. She could've stopped, but she kept playing. She finally found her supporters.

_Kab tak hosh sambhale koi _(How long can one remain in control) _  
__Hosh ude toh ud jaane do _(When consciousness goes, let it go)

_Dil kab seedhi raah chala hai _(When has the heart gone on a straight path)_  
__Raah mude toh mude jaane do _(If the path turns, let it turn)

_Tere khayal me doob ke aksar achhi lagi tanhaai _(When I am in your thoughts, loneliness feels good)

_Saans me teri saans mili toh mujhe saans aayi__  
__Mujhe saans aayi, Mujhe saans aayi_

The group of people applauded, and Tohru's guitar case was filled with bills and coins.

"Thank you so much, you don't know how much this means to me!" said Tohru, almost breaking into tears.

"You should be a singer, you're really good!" a little girl said as she came towards Tohru.

Tohru smiled, "You really think so?"

The little girl nodded, and the group broke into applause again. A tear fell down Tohru's cheek, and onto her bruise. The girl noticed it, and asked, "What happened to your cheek?"

Tohru felt like crying harder, "Sometimes you need to pay to follow your heart, and I paid my price. I got kicked out of my own home."

The girl gasped, and so did many of the people, "Are you okay? Do you have a place to stay?" asked a lady.

Tohru nodded, "I'm fine, and I'm staying at a friend's house."

The lady sighed with relief, "That's good."

Tohru smiled, "Thank you once again. But I have to go."

A few people groaned, "Will you come back?" asked the little girl.

Tohru twisted her pinkie with the little girl's pinkie, "I promise!"

Everyone started to leave the bench, and Tohru was packing up. She stared at the cash on her guitar case, "Maybe I'm not putting you in there this time," she said to her guitar.

But as she was putting her guitar away, her eyes met with another bill.

"Do you have room for another?"

Tohru looked up, and saw a silver-haired boy standing in front of her. He looked charming, and he sounded very nice. His purple eyes looked so gentle.

Tohru took the bill from his hand, "Thank you very much."

She put the bill in her case, "That was beautiful" said the boy.

"Thank you, that means so much to me."

The boy lent a hand towards Tohru, "I'm Yuki Sohma, any you are?"

Tohru took the hand, "My name is Tohru, Tohru Honda."

Yuki smiled, "Pleasure to meet you, Tohru."

Tohru smiled, "You too."

Yuki was hidden in the crowd while Tohru was singing. Her voice was so angelic to him. The whole time, he was staring at the singing brunette that brought the magic out of singing. When he heard that she got kicked out for that reason, his heart broke. He never met anyone so brave in his life.


	4. Can We Be Friends?

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! I already got 11 reviews within 3 chapters! This is the most success I've gotten so far! Thank you! But I want to hear from more! I want to know if you really like this story enough for me to continue! So please review! It would be awesome if one user reviewed every chapter! Ahahahahahaha! **

Tohru couldn't keep her eyes off this strange boy. He made her feel so warm and happy. He made her forget everything around. She felt the urge to fall in his embrace, but she resisted herself.

"So, are you sure you're okay?" asked Yuki.

"I'm fine," said Tohru, trying to reassure him.

Yuki looked at the ground playing with his feet. Tohru felt the awkwardness coming towards them, so she quickly said, "so, I'll be on my way then. Bye."

But before Tohru could move a step, Yuki said, "Wait, do you want to go get some coffee and – talk?"

Tohru had a bad feeling with his offer. She barely knew the boy for five minutes and he's asking her to have coffee with him?

But there was something about him – he was like a warm breeze on a cold morning. He made her feel comfortable. She really wanted to know who he was.

"Sure. Starbucks?"

Yuki nodded, "My treat!"

He was too sweet, "You don't have to –

Yuki held a hand up, "Please?"

Tohru nodded. She didn't want to argue with him. She didn't want him to not like her. Tohru took a few deep breaths, and followed Yuki to Starbucks.

20 minutes – and two large coffees later, Yuki and Tohru were sitting on the same bench, but none of them said anything. Tohru was staring off at the distance, and she didn't know that Yuki was staring at her.

Something about her really got to Yuki. He felt so much better in her presence.

"So, how long have you been singing?"

Tohru sighed, "A long time; ever since I was 10."

"That's great!" said Yuki, "And you sing Hindi songs?"

Tohru nodded, "I really feel that I have a connection with them."

She stood up, "Thank you for the coffee, but I really should be going." She smiled at Yuki, "My friend might start to worry."

But just before she could leave, Yuki stopped here once again, "Can we be friends?"

A mixed ray of confusion and curiosity travelled through her mind, not knowing what to say, but, "We just met, and friendship is something really special. I'm not saying you're not nice – in fact, you're the nicest person I've met!"

Yuki had a glow of happiness in his eyes. Did she really mean that? Was he really what she said?

"I just need to get to know you better."

Yuki smiled, "I agree. Can I have your phone number, then?

Tohru sighed, "Here, I'll write it down." She got out a small notebook and pen from her purse, wrote her number down. She ripped it and gave it to Yuki.

Yuki too it and put it in his pocket, "It was nice meeting you." He gave Tohru a small smile, turned around and walked away.

Tohru took her things, and she began heading home, but suddenly, her phone began ringing. She received the call, "Hello?"

"_Hi."_

Tohru turned around, to find Yuki with his cell phone in his ear, smiling at her, _"Remember to save it. Bye."_

Tohru removed her phone from her ear, and looked at Yuki, with a smile planted on her lips. He gave a small wave and left.

_Unbelievable, _thought Tohru, as she walked out of the park, and back home.

When Tohru got to her house, Kagura was sitting by the porch, Tohru checked the time – yikes. It was 4:30 p.m. She should've come home a lot earlier.

Kagura looked at Tohru as she came closer to the house, "Where were you? You said you would be back at one!"

Tohru smiled, "Sorry, time flew by. Did Kyo stop over?"

Kagura nodded, "I told him about you at the park."

Tohru smirked, "So what did he think?"

Kagura punched her shoulder, "Girl, distance!"

The two of them laughed, and went inside.

Tohru was in her room, playing on her guitar. Kagura came in shortly with cups of hot chocolate.

"Thanks," said Tohru as Kagura handed her a cup. Kagura looked at the sheet of paper in front of Tohru, "What are you doing?"

"Practising a new song. You want to listen to it?"

Kagura smiled and nodded her head. Tohru began strumming her guitar, and followed the rhythm of her tapping feet.

**A/N: THIS IS AN ORIGINAL TITLE SONG! Written by Simin-chan. I actually get to say this for once, but I DO own this!**

_Close your eyes,_

_Feel my hand fall gently across your face_

_The warmth of your breath is magic_

_Leaving me without a trace_

_Leaves rustling against the wind_

_Flowing gently passed my cheek_

_I hold on to you _

_As I let our hands meet_

_The gentle sound of your voice_

_The love in your eyes_

_Unties my heart_

_So it never leaves to die_

_Hand to hand_

_This is our moment_

_Come, untie my heart_

_Don't leave it to die_

_Untie my heart_

_Don't leave it to die (x4)_

Tohru strummed her guitar a few more times, bringing the song to an end. Kagura's eyes were two pouring streams of tears.

"I'm just so glad you're my best friend!"

Kagura wrapped her arms around Tohru. Tohru hugged her back, and felt hot tears on her shoulder.

"You ok?" Tohru asked her.

She felt a slight nod, "I'm perfectly fine."

Later on, the two talked about certain things. Tohru didn't mention Yuki while they were talking. She wanted to keep him a secret, or Kagura would be all over her trying to know who he was. She barely knew that herself.

Kagura left the bedroom to meet her parents when they came home from work. Tohru checked the time, 8:34 p.m. "Maybe I should –

She went to her call history, and found Yuki's number. _Should I call him? _She asked herself a few times, but she dialled the number and waited patiently for Yuki to answer.

There was no answer – all it said was to leave a message. Tohru took a deep breath, and said:

_Hey Yuki,_

_This is Tohru. I just wanted to call and see what you were up to. I was thinking, maybe you want to hand out tomorrow, at the park again? Or we could go somewhere different. Call me back when you have an answer._

Tohru hung up – and sighed. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She got a text message. It said:

_That would be cool. We could hang out at my place if you want._

_Yuki._

Tohru laughed, _that boy sure is mysterious._ But no matter how mysterious, shy, or weird he could be, she really liked him. She had a feeling they _would _be great friends.


	5. Who is He?

**A/N: HIIII! I'm back! Okay, sad to say, I have my finals coming up, and I'm gonna be extremely busy, so I won't be updating! I should be studying right now, but I wanted to write ONE more chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm getting so many reviews! It's crazy! KEEP IT UP! **

**Biggest supporters: ALL MY REVIEWERS!**

Tohru was standing in front of Starbucks, waiting for Yuki to come. He left her another message:

_Come to Starbucks. I'll be waiting._

Tohru still had a hard time understanding Yuki. He was VERY mysterious – yet very kind. He always left her thinking about something.

A soft breeze past by the trees. Tohru closed her eyes, and felt the cool wind against her face.

"Having fun?"

Tohru whirled around, to find Yuki, holding two coffee cups. Tohru smiled, "Hi."

Yuki handed her a cup, "How have you been?"

"I've been alright, and you?"

"Okay, I guess."

Tohru took a sip of her coffee, "How do you know what I always want?"

Yuki looked confused, "What do you mean?"

Tohru laughed, "Coffee, silly!"

Yuki also returned a laugh, "Oh, I don't know. Human instincts?"

Tohru shrugged, "So we're heading to your place?"

Yuki nodded, finishing his coffee, "Yup. I have a favour to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Will you teach me a song?"

Tohru dropped her half-cup coffee right out of her hands. Yuki looked down at the mess – wondering if he shocked her.

"I'm sorry –

"I WOULD LOVE TO!"

Now it was Yuki who was shocked, "Really? You'll do it?"

Tohru nodded while smiling, "Ooh, this is going to be so much fun! I've always wanted a writing partner!"

Yuki smiled, "Thank you! You want to start when we get to my home?"

"Yeah!" said Tohru, who was still very excited.

Yuki led Tohru to his home, which wasn't very far from Starbucks. It was only ten minutes by bus, and it was in a very quiet area.

The area was mainly consisted of bungalows. Yuki's bungalow was light blue with a large bay window. It had a huge pine tree in front of it.

"You're bungalow is so pretty!"

Yuki chuckled, "It really has a home type feeling."

When they went inside, it was decorated with paintings, plants, the occasional fish bowl, and beautiful furniture.

"Wow!" exclaimed Tohru.

"You like it?"

"I LOVE IT!"

Tohru was circling around the entire house – as if to memorize every little detail in it. Yuki then led her to his room – which was just as luxurious.

Tohru sat on his bed, while Yuki asked her, "So, we're writing it first?"

Tohru nodded, as she tried to come up with a few lyrics.

She tapped her foot a few times, snapped her fingers, and hummed a few tunes – but nothing. Nothing came to her mind. She kept waiting for that melody. Where could it be?

"Do you have a guitar?"

Yuki went to his closet, and brought out a bright red guitar. He handed it to Tohru, who began strumming it.

"Can you bring me a pen and some paper please?"

Yuki went to his bookshelf, grabbed them, and handed them to Tohru. She wrote a few things down, and gave the finished work to Yuki.

Yuki read over the lyrics, and smiled, "How do you do it?"

"You just need to find the right rhythm and melody."

She began strumming the guitar, and began singing...

**A/N: ORIGINAL SONG! I own this!**

_I'm waiting,_

_My heart is waiting,_

_Waiting for that melody_

_Wandering,_

_My mind is wondering,_

_For where it ought to be._

Yuki shortly joined in:

_**My eyes can't find it**_

_**But I will find it**_

_**My missing words**_

_**That ran away from me**_

_**Then I can start it**_

_**Yeah I can start it**_

_**I can start my symphony.**_

Tohru was amazed by the sound of Yuki's voice. It was no question that it wasn't beautiful. It was like soft waves in the ocean rushing onto the shores, and when it touched her feet, it made her whole body shake.

_My words, my melodies_

_They fill my heart with the joy it needs_

_Brings the love in my eyes when I sing_

_I've brought that song back to me_

_**I feel it rushing on and on**_

_**It goes on and on**_

_**It will never stop**_

_**My lost melody has come**_

Tohru's jaw dropped as she stared at Yuki. His vocals were too much for her to handle. It was so pure and so innocent sounding.

"Oh my god..."

"Don't even think of complimenting me."

Tohru punched his shoulder, "I'm complimenting you and you're going to accept it!"

Yuki sighed, "I'm not as good as you are!"

"Oh shut up! You should – okay I don't know a job well enough for THAT talent!"

Yuki laughed, but Tohru broke it by asking, "So when are your parents coming back?"

Yuki looked down on the floor, "I don't live with them. They were killed in a plane crash."

Tohru's heart sank. So Yuki has no parents? She felt too shattered to keep her voice steady, "Who do you live with then?"

Yuki, understanding her feelings, kept his eyes on the floor, "My uncle bought this house for me. I was planning to move in with my girlfriend."

Tohru's heart sank even more, _Girl-f-friend?_

"I was head over heels for Machi. The moment Ii first laid eyes on her; it was love at first sight. The first time we talked – it was when she had no one to hang out with."

Tohru listened to his story, carrying a torn heart with her.

"When I confessed my love to her – I was sure that she was going to slap me. But she came over and kissed me. And ever since that day, we were one."

A tear slipped down Tohru's red eye.

"We had so many plans for the future. That ended, when I found her, inside a forest, making out with another boy."

Tohru gasped, "She cheated on you? But why?"

Yuki sighed, "I don't have the answer. I tried to commit suicide at least 10 times over this, but I failed every attempt."

_Commit suicide?_

"But that day, when I saw you singing in the park, it released me. You were the one that made me more relaxed. Every time you speak, my mind clears from those bad memories."

Tohru couldn't help it – she wanted to fall into his arms, but instead, she slapped him. Slapped him really hard.

Yuki cupped his bruised cheek, "Why did you –

"IDIOT!" Tohru screamed through her tears, "DON'T YOU EVER TRY COMMITING SUICIDE EVER AGAIN!"

She let herself fall into his arms, and cried in them. "You can't leave, you can't!"

Yuki wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to calm her down, "I'm sorry, I promise I won't attempt it ever again."

He stroked her hair, soothing her emotions. He raised her chin with his hand and wiped her tears.

"Will you be my friend, Tohru?"

Tohru nodded in her tears, and hugged him again.


	6. The Horrible Reality

**A/N: Oh My Gosh you guys! Thank you for all those reviews! Thank you for blessing me with such kind words! I owe every one of my reviewers so much!**

**Special Mention: Littlecosma001! **

**I'm aiming for 50 reviews! Help me get there you guys!**

**Finals are coming up, but who cares? I won't stop writing!**

Tohru broke from Yuki's embrace as she slowly lifted her head to face him. She had no idea what was behind this sweet, gentle, and cute young man. It was hard for her to discover the ugly truth behind him.

"Are you okay?" asked Yuki, concerned as to how much she was crying.

She nodded, "I was just so worried. I had no idea..."

No matter how hard Tohru fought, her tears won. She couldn't fight them back. Surrendering, she let them fall. And they fell...

Yuki kept wiping them away, "Tohru, please don't cry. I'm alright, really!"

Tohru shook her head, "Liar!"

"I'm not lying, Tohru! I really am fine!"

"Stop lying or I'll slap you again!"

Yuki sighed, "What happened was a long time ago. The past is the past. I had to move on, and I did."

"But no matter what happens," began Tohru, "You will never get over of what happened."

Yuki smiled, "I just didn't know how to handle it. Maybe that's why I tried to attempt suicide. I couldn't control my emotions; they stormed out of my brain and controlled my body, making all the decisions for me."

"My parents died when I was four, and I lived with my uncle ever since. After time passed by, he thought I should be living on my own. So he bought me this bungalow, and he supplies me with everything."

Tohru reached for Yuki's hand, "Are you sure you will be okay?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Yuki answered while grasping Tohru's hand.

Tohru gave off a smile, "Do you still love her?"

Thoughts of Machi came buzzing back into Yuki's mind. He did love her – he loved her more than anything. But he could never forgive her for the mistake she wasn't able to see.

"No, I don't," said Yuki, "I don't want to date girls like her ever again."

Tohru didn't think she believed him. Yuki must've understood what she was thinking, "If you think I'm lying, let me be the first to say that I'm not."

"Okay, I believe you," Tohru gave in, "So..."

"So... what?"

"Is there someone else you love?"

Yuki sighed, "No, I haven't loved in a long time."

"Oh," Tohru got up and grabbed her purse, "I should be going."

Yuki followed her to the door, "Will you come again?"

"Of course," said Tohru as she went over to hug Yuki again. Yuki held on to her, feeling every bit of her embrace. He felt his heart open a bit more, and his mind soothed.

When the both of them separated, Tohru opened the door, and left. Yuki stood by the opened door, waving goodbye to Tohru. Tohru waved back and said, "Take care of yourself!"

"I will, I promise."

* * *

Yuki was still circling inside of Tohru's thoughts. She felt a lot better when Yuki opened his problems and shared them with her. People go through hardship, but they never talk about it.

She winded her thoughts back to when she left her home. She wondered how her family was doing.

As Tohru walked back to Kagura's house – or as Tohru would say 'home', without looking, she bumped into another lady right in front of her. "Oh, I'm so sorry ma'am. Are you hurt?"

The lady shook her head, "No, I'm fine. Are you hurt by any chance?"

Tohru shook her head, "Of course not. I'm terribly sorry."

The lady smiled, "What is your name?"

"Tohru, Tohru Honda." She said, "Any you are?"

The lady raised her hand towards her, "My name is Machi Kuragi."

Tohru didn't move – her whole body was frozen right after the lady's name came out of her mouth.

Tohru couldn't understand; was this the same Machi who Yuki fell in love with? Was she the same person that broke Yuki's heart into pieces like broken glass?

"I'm sorry," said Tohru, "Did I hear you right? Is your name really Machi?"

Machi nodded, "Yes, why? Is there something wrong?"

A spark of anger and sadness streamed through Tohru's veins and arteries. She still couldn't believe that she was standing in front of this girl, who had no sympathy on what she did.

"Is this some kind of a joke?"

Machi was confused, and surprised at the tone that Tohru was using, "I'm sorry?"

"Do you know what Yuki went through ever since you cheated on him like that?!"

That was all Machi needed to fall into dead silence.

"How could you do this to him?" asked Tohru, "You returned his feelings whole-heartedly, but you still cheated on him!"

"How did you know about this?!" yelled Machi through tears that began to form in her eyes.

"I know him; he's my friend!" yelled Tohru, equally frustrated, "He won't hide anything from me!"

Tohru went closer to Machi, "Do you know what he has been through? Have you ever stopped to think about this? Have you EVER stopped to think about the affects he had on the things you've done?"

"I've lived with that guilt!" Machi screamed, "I deny everything I've done!"

"No you don't," Tohru laughed sarcastically, "If you did, you would've gone up to him and admitted it. You would've showed him you still cared!"

Machi covered her face with her hands, crying in them. Tohru circled around her, shaking her head.

"I'm thankful to God he failed every attempt. Because of you, he tried taking his own life!"

Slowly removing her hands from her face, Machi looked at Tohru with a shocked expression planted on her face. "He did?"

Tohru nodded, "He did not take this too well."

Machi felt horrible; she felt like dropping to the floor. She couldn't believe she did this to Yuki.

Tohru put her hand on her shoulder, "I think you should speak to him. Do you really regret everything you've done?"

Machi nodded slowly. Tohru smiled, "You should tell him that. He told me I ease his pain, but really, the one who can do that is you."

Tohru got her cell phone out of her purse, and she began dialling Yuki's phone number. The phone kept ringing and ringing, until a voice was to be heard on the other end, "Hello?"

"Yuki, you need to come down by the main road by your house!"

"Okay..." said Yuki. He hung up, and Tohru put her cell phone in her bag.

Minutes later, Yuki arrived to the same place. He waved towards Tohru and asked her, "Hey, what's go –

His eyes fell on Machi, and like Tohru, he was frozen. Machi stepped forward, "Yuki..."

Yuki still had his eyes locked on Machi, and was shocked to see her here.

Tohru went over to Yuki, "I'll be over by that lamp post over there, so you two can talk privately."

She pointed to the lamp post across the street. She carefully crossed the road, leaving them both alone.

Machi kept looking at Yuki, and came closer. Yuki wanted to back up, but his body refused to let him do so.

"Yuki..." said Machi again. She placed her hand on his face and drew her face closer to it.

"Don't...Machi."


	7. Shocking Surprises

**A/N: Oh my gosh... I feel like crying! 37 reviews! I can't tell you how happy I am! I'm hearing from so many people, but I need a lot more! If you truly love this story, please review! **

**So, I wonder how many people kept thinking about the last chapter... I didn't do that good of a job, but I'm glad it got 8 reviews!**

**New Goal: 100 reviews! Think I can do it?**

**Special Mention: MissAquarius and her wonderful sister Vee1218! **

**Oh, and most of this chapter is based on a scene from an Indian movie named Aitraaz (Objection), and I don't own that. I also don't own Fruits Basket.**

"Machi... please don't."

She didn't listen to Yuki; she kept coming closer. She came closer, and closer, and closer until their noses touched.

Yuki felt his body shaking. He felt blood rushing to his stiff legs. He slowly took a step back away from Machi. Machi noticed what he was trying to do, but she didn't seem to care. She wanted to share this moment so badly, and she continued to come closer.

"Machi, stop it!" yelled Yuki. Machi froze in her tracks, looking at Yuki with a sadden expression, "How far you have gone away from me Yuki..."

Yuki felt as if he was about to have a nervous breakdown. He glanced towards Tohru, who literally had no idea what was going on. "Tohru... why?" he asked himself.

"Tohru must've realized – my love for you never came to an end." Machi put her arm around his neck, and pushed Yuki to a concrete wall that was nest to the sidewalk.

"Machi, stop! This isn't right!" Yuki begged, and begged, and begged for Machi to stop getting any closer, but it was no use.

"How lonely I've been; all those moments that I spent alone..." Machi slid her index finger down Yuki's cheek.

"What are you doing to me?" Yuki couldn't separate from Machi's grasp.

Machi gave a sad smile towards Yuki, "I'm not doing anything new, Yuki."

Yuki was afraid. Even though Machi did horrible things to him, he had never seen her act like this before. She acted as if she – he didn't know.

"This is wrong Machi! Let go of me!"

"You think this is wrong?" she said as she tried to embrace Yuki, "I love you so much... I've missed you..."

"You were right; I am a brat who doesn't know any better. But what can I do? I am who I am, Yuki. You fell in love with that me, didn't you? Why not accept me now?"

"I did not fall in love with that you!" Yuki screamed as he kept trying to break from Machi, "You know what? I don't even know WHY I fell in love with you!"

"Then love me now!"

Yuki's eyes widened; what did she –

"Show me you're an animal, Yuki! Show me you're an animal!" With that, Yuki broke out of Machi's embrace with all his strength.

Machi fell onto the sidewalk, "Yuki! Please don't leave again! Come, love me Yuki! LOVE ME!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yuki tried to get away from Machi.

Tohru, on the other side, looked up to see what all the commotion was about. She thought Machi was going to apologize, but all she saw was Machi chasing after Yuki. She heard her say, "Yuki! Listen to me, please!"

Machi ran towards Yuki, who was trying to cross the street to Tohru, and grabbed his shirt, "Yuki, you're insulting me! What do you think I am? A b****? A s***? A bloody prostitute?!"

Tohru watched in horror on what was going on with them. She went over to them immediately and tried breaking off the commotion.

But as she crossed the street, Machi started un-buttoning Yuki's shirt, "Yuki... don't run away again! I've missed you so much... Yuki..."

"Machi, stop!" Tohru yelled, "What do you think you are?"

Tohru made it just in time. Machi wouldn't let go of Yuki, so Tohru had to grab onto Machi and pull her away from Yuki, "What do you think you were trying to do?" Tohru screamed at Machi.

"That's none of your business!" Machi yelled back, "It's –

"Machi, I'm serious! That's enough!" yelled Yuki.

"Don't you still love me Yuki?" asked Machi with pleading eyes. Tohru's eyes filled with anger, and she went up to Machi and grabbed her shoulders. "When Yuki loved you, you didn't want to be his girlfriend. You found someone else over him and you left him to live with that pain! And now, you want to have a physical relationship with him?"

A furious Machi tugged off Tohru's hands from her shoulders, "Don't touch me!" She then turned to Yuki, "Yuki, I –

"Just get out and leave me alone! I never want to see you again!"

Yuki was behind her and started to breathe heavily. Machi looked at him, and she glared at him. "I know you still love me, Yuki!" And she left without looking back.

Tohru went over to Yuki, and said, "Yuki, I'm sorry. I didn't –

"Why couldn't you keep your mouth shut?"

Yuki was standing in front of Tohru – a frown was planted on his face. Tohru noticed it, and she also noticed the anger in his voice. "What do you –

"Why did you have to call me down to meet her? Why did you tell her that you knew? Why couldn't you just keep quiet?!"

Yuki went over to Tohru and grabbed onto her shoulders, "Why weren't you there sooner when she was almost literally trying to get me to have a physical relation with her?"

Was this all true? Was this really all of Tohru's doing? She felt her heart beat faster, and she couldn't find her words.

There was a moment of silence. Yuki put his hand over his forehead, and walked away. He didn't look back.

As he was going away, Tohru watched him, while tears began rolling down her eyes. She began walking back home, wondering if Yuki was going to be okay.

* * *

It had been days, and Tohru hasn't heard from Yuki at all. She tried leaving messages and tried calling him a number of times, but she never got a reply.

_He doesn't like me anymore. He probably never wants to see me again for what I did to him._

The same thought kept circling Tohru's head continuously. Two day within knowing him, and she got him so mad that he doesn't want to talk to her.

She felt horrible; she managed to make him hate her on the same day she became friends with him. She flipped through her songbook which she had in front of her. She reached for her purse to pull out her phone, and inside, she found a folded piece of paper inside it. She put her phone on her mattress and opened the paper. It had the song that she wrote for Yuki. She remembered his beautiful voice. It felt as if it untied her heart from a knot that it had been in.

Why was Tohru feeling like this? It's no surprise that she feel guilt, but she's feeling a little more in her.

Tohru's thoughts were interrupted with a knock on the bedroom door as Kagura came inside and handed her a telephone, "It's for you."

Tohru took the phone and asked Kagura, "Who is it?" Kagura didn't say anything, and simply walked away. Tohru put the phone against her ear and said, "Hello?"

"Hello Tohru. How have you been?" Tohru almost dropped the phone from her hands.

_Father?_


	8. Surprise Attack

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back! So, here's an interesting story: On the last day of school, I was on the computer having some free time. I was checking my email, and I got a guest review finally giving me some constructive criticism. This is what the review read:**

_**It's a good story, but Tohru is very out of character. I can't see a lot of the characteristics that make up personalities in the characters. It seems like you could just change the names and it wouldn't be like Fruits Basket at all.**_

**First of all, I thank whoever wrote it, and to add onto it, I believe that FanFiction is taking a story and making it to your desire. I mess up the plots and the personalities of characters to have some fun. I am aware that this isn't at all like Fruits Basket... and I don't want it to be like Fruits Basket. It's just a writing style I have.**

**The Special Mention goes to that reviewer, whoever you are. **

**I also thank all my other reviewers for all their support!**

* * *

_Father? Is that you?_

The voice kept bouncing back in her head over and over again. She wasn't aware of anything else – the thought of Yuki vanished, and all that was left was the voice on the other side of the phone.

Tohru also wasn't aware that Kagura was standing beside the door, wanting to listen to every word they were saying. When she got the phone call, she wanted to hang up and forget about it.

"Tohru, are you there?" The voice came back. Tohru took a deep breath, and said, "Hello father. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I hope you are well also?"

"Yes, I'm well thank you."

She could hear her own sadness through her voice. Tohru never stopped thinking about her parents – not even for a moment. Her father cared enough to phone her and check up on her... Tohru couldn't be any happier.

"I was wondering..." began her father, "If you want to come over and have dinner with us."

Something close to a smile formed on Tohru's lips, "That would be nice. I'd love to."

"Make sure you're here by seven. Take care."

That was the last thing he said before he hung up, leaving Tohru into a deep state of thought.

Kagura walked in the room and sat on the bed next to Tohru, "What happened? Is everything okay?"

Tohru nodded, "Yes; they invited me for dinner."

"That's awesome!" said Kagura happily. Tohru smiled in return, but it was a fake.

Kagura noticed it, and was worried, "What's wrong?"

"I'm nervous."

Tohru tucked her head between her knees, "I don't know if anything will be the same between us anymore."

Kagura went over to Tohru and put her hand on her shoulder, "Everything is going to be fine, I promise. Just be yourself."

Tohru didn't look up, "They are your family, Tohru. They love you."

"I wish that was true..."

"Tohru! Stop it!" Kagura was getting frustrated by Tohru, "Don't think poorly of yourself! Now go get changed – you have two hours to get ready."

* * *

Tohru left the house a little early, and she brought her guitar along with her. She was dressing pretty plain: a black skirt with a white T-shirt. She had no make-up or jewellery on. She wore black flats with white bows on them.

She checked the time – 6:15. Maybe she left a bit too early. She looked around, and saw many people standing around and talking to their friends. A smile crossed Tohru's lips – she put her guitar case down and unzipped it to get her guitar out. She placed the guitar sprap around her shoulder, and played a melody from her heart...

**A/N: This is... you guessed it!**

_I should've seen_

_What went on in me?_

_To hurt you_

_So badly..._

_I would've said_

_That I was sorry_

_But you ran away_

_You ran away from me_

People started putting money in Tohru's guitar case, but didn't stop by to listen. They simply walked away. Some people gave Tohru money, and a small smile, but they walked away. Tohru didn't stop singing though – this song _and _moment was important to her.

_You left me in tears_

_As I wrapped myself with guilt_

_My Sun stopped shining_

_Because of the regret I built_

_But give me a chance_

_To say that I was sorry_

_I want you to see_

_It wasn't meant to be_

Soft strums of her guitar flew past her ear, and she shivered. There was one thought – and one thought only in her mind only. She wanted to get that one person to listen and have him come back to her...

_I don't want to forget_

_The joy I shared with you_

_Accept me again_

_Please accept the truth..._

A people clapped, and Tohru smiled. But at the same time she was sad – she hoped he heard what she had to say. She hoped he forgave her. She felt her eyes water, she quickly wiped them away. She started taking her guitar off of her – when she found someone standing in front of her guitar case, putting money inside it. It was Yuki...

Tohru stepped closer – wanting to speak to him, but it was too late. Yuki started walking away. Tohru looked at him as the tears she wiped away fell. "Yuki, please don't go!"

She yelled for him, and he looked back. He too had a sad expression on his face. There the two stood – face-to-face with each other. Tohru wanted to say something else, but Yuki came up closer to Tohru.

All Tohru was hoping that he would forgive her, but when he came close, he put his hand on Tohru's cheek, and drew her closer to him. Right on that spot, he gave her a kiss.

Tohru was shocked, but she kissed him back. She put her arm around him as he put his arm behind her back. Yuki released her, and looked down. Too embarrassed to speak, he walked away without saying anything. He didn't look back.

Tohru, on the other hand, felt as if she was about to pass out. As she put her guitar away, the kiss replayed in her head. She strapped the guitar case behind her back and walked to her parents' home.

* * *

As she approached, she remembered leaving this place. She remembered the pain, she remembered the yelling – she remembered everything. Tohru slowly knocked the door; it opened, and on the other side, she found her mother.

"Tohru..." she began, as she went over to her and hugged her. Tohru also hugged her back. But moments later, her eyes caught the eyes of her father, who was right behind them. Tohru slowly let go of Kyoko and made way towards her father.

She stood in front of him, and gave him a sad glance. Her father closed his eyes for a minute, and unexpectedly, he hugged her.

Tohru, who had her face on her father's shoulder, cried in his arms. Katsuya stroked her hair as he embraced her, as if to make up for all the hatred towards her all these years. They separated, and Katsuya handed Tohru a thick stack of paper.

"What is this?" asked Tohru as she flipped through it.

Katsuya smiled, "Those are all your songs that I ripped up a long time ago."

Tohru held the booklet to her heart, and went back and hugged her father, "Thank you dad."

Patting her back, Katsuya also shed a few tears, "You're welcome." He released himself from her and cleared his throat, "You must be hungry. Your mom cooked your favourites."

Tohru looked over to her mother and smiled, "Thank you mom."

As they were eating, Katsuya asked, "Are you managing well?"

Tohru nodded, "Yes, thank you."

Tohru was surrounded by miso soup, rice, and vegetables. She even saw salmon fish sticks. She had a bowl of Domburi in front of her. Not wanting to miss anything, she ate a bite of everything.

Her moher was happy to watch her eat, while her father stared at her, lost in deep thought, "Tohru?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you move back in with us?"


	9. He Untied My Heart

**A/N: AAAAH! I just had a review outburst from two wonderful reviewers! I'm at 65! Oh my god, you guys are the best! My goal is 100, and I want everyone to be a part of this! I have a few people I need to thank:**

_**MissAquarius**_**, for her unconditional support**

_**Diamondzcraft**_** and **_**Animelover1001**_** for giving me the biggest surprise of my life**

_**AssassinedAngel **_**and **_**Littlecosma001**_** for being an inspiration to me**

_**Saiyara-chan **_**for being the greatest friend**

_Will you move back in with us?_

Tohru dropped her bowl of miso soup on the floor. Kyoko saw the mess and started to get up to clean it, but Tohru's shock prevented her.

"Tohru, please come back!" pleaded Kyoko, "I miss you! You father misses you!"

Tohru closed her eyes and thought for a minute. She stood up and went upstairs. Katsuya followed her to make sure if she was okay. Tohru reached the top and went inside her old bedroom.

She opened the windows – it started to rain gently. She stuck her hand out the window and felt the raindrops – the same raindrops that she felt when she left.

Tohru brought her hand back inside – the water started dripping down her hand. She turned around to look at her father – who's standing by the door. "Why do you want me to come back?"

Katsuya cleared his throat, looking at the floor pretending he didn't hear her. Then it hit Tohru – it hit her after seeing her father staring at the floor like that. It all came back to her. No matter what happens, her father will never change...

"I've already crossed your line, and I'm not turning back!"

Katsuya's eyes again filled with the anger – the same way when Tohru confronted him."You really think you can do it, don't you?"

Tohru walked towards him, "I KNOW I can do it!"

Katsuya sighed, trying to be calm and patient with his daughter, "Look, it's not going to happen. It's a cute idea, but it's never going to happen!"

"Says who?" Tohru clenched her fists.

"I do!" said Katsuya, "First of all, you have no supporters! Forget your mom, I described it to her! So you really have no supporters!"

Tohru shook her head, "Your wrong!"

Katsuya gave her an are-you-serious laugh, "Do you really think your precious little friends care about your dreams? They might, but they don't!"

"Look kid," he said as he put his hand on Tohru's shoulder, "I'm not telling you to stop dreaming. You can dream – but don't expect them to come true."

_No! _Tohru said to herself, _they do care. They're my friends!_

Suddenly, her thoughts turned into the mysterious silver-haired boy. The kiss was still pressed on her lips, and she remembered those beautiful, kind purple eyes, and his gentle voice – even when he yells. His embrace has touched her heart.

HE touched her heart – and untied it.

Tohru broke apart from her thoughts, and looked at Katsuya, "I don't belong here, father. I don't want to come back in this cage!"

With that, Tohru ran out from her bedroom and ran down the stairs. She grabbed her guitar case, and looked at her mom, "Sorry for the mess mom. I have to go – take care."

Kyoko stood up from the chair she was sitting on, and went towards the door. She looked at Katsuya, who was coming down the stairs himself.

"Nothing is going to stop that girl – not even me. Let her live her own life."

Katsuya smiled, and walked out of the room, leaving Kyoko in sadness.

Tohru ran through the rain – it was pouring. Her clothes were damp, and she was shivering. She found a nearby tree to stand underneath.

She leaned against the trunk, waiting for the rain to stop. She really wished Yuki was here – she needed someone to hold on to.

Why was she thinking about Yuki all the time? Has she – no. It couldn't be... has she fallen in love with him?

"Isn't it beautiful?"

A voice came out of nowhere. Tohru looked behind the trunk, and found a similar pair of purple eyes looking into hers, "It's calm and gentle..."

Tohru looked at him with tears, and came closer to him, "Yuki, I'm sorry about everything." Her tears couldn't be seen through the rain.

Yuki sighed, but then he smiled, "A friend never says _sorry_, nor do they say _thank you_."

Tohru couldn't understand, "Then why were you so mad?"

Yuki came closer to Tohru, and kissed her again. Tohru didn't hesitate to kiss him back, "Because I don't see you as a friend."

Tohru laughed softly, as she went over to hug him. "I don't realize – how could you love someone whom you barely knew?"

Yuki nestled his cheek against hers, "I don't realize how someone so beautiful and determined could return the feelings of someone who's a total idiot."

Tohru wacked Yuki across the back of his head, "If you're anyone's idiot, you're my idiot!" And she bent over to give him another kiss.

"I love you Tohru," he said softly; the sweet sound of his voice brushed against her ears.

Tohru smiled in return, putting her arms around his neck, "You've untied my heart, so how can I not love you?"

She placed her hand on his cheek and wiped away the rain water, and kissed it.

**A/N: Okay! I'm finishing my original title song Untie My Heart here!**

_Raindrops fall_

_Across my face_

_As the cold wind comes by_

_You freed me out of this mess_

_Your love is on my fingertips_

_Your breath collides with mine_

_You've opened all the doors_

_You've made my Sun shine..._

Tohru went out from the tree into the rain. Her partly-dried hair became wet again, and her clothes became damp. She twirled and whirled around and around. Yuki watched her, with a smile planted on his lips. He too went out in the rain to join her. He took her in his arms and kissed her neck. Tohru ruffled his hair and wrapped her arms around him. Yuki returned to Tohru's cold but soft lips, and kissed her while the rain brushed against their cheeks.

_The gentle sounds of your voice_

_The love in your eyes_

_Unties my heart_

_So it never leaves to die_

_Hand to hand_

_This is our moment_

_Untie my heart_

_So it never leaves to die_

Yuki looked at Tohru with those loving eyes of his, "Why do you have to sing so beautifully?"

Tohru smiled in return, "The wind is saying something. Can you hear it?"

Yuki nodded, "Yes... it is..."

"It's saying the two lost lovers found each other."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This story is NOT over! There's still more! And I want to thank all my supporters who have been so kind and supportive! I have a few people I want to thank:**

**MissAquarius:**** For being there for me**

**Littlecosma001:**** For being an inspiration to me**

**AssassinedAngel:**** For encouraging me to keep writing**

**All my reviewers and viewers: _You guys rock! _**

_**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Please?**_

* * *

_Two lost lovers finally found each other..._

Tohru shot straight up from bed, and looked around the room. Of course, Yuki wasn't there. She sighed deeply, while she heard an imaginary melody fly in her ears. She felt Yuki's embrace, and still felt his lips on hers. She turned on her phone and found a text message from Yuki:

_I love you._

Tohru smiled while her eyes started to water. She sent him another text message:

_I love you more, and you know that._

She wasn't sure how she was going to prove it to him. She really did love him, now all she has to do is show it.

Her phone vibrated again, and another text message appeared on her screen:

_Are you willing to prove it?_

Tohru shook her head, as if to say _unbelievable! _She didn't want to have a debate with him, so she simply wrote this:

_My time will come... you just have to wait._

She put her phone down and tried going back to bed, but her phone vibrating prevented her from doing so. It looks like Yuki isn't leaving her alone tonight!

For the rest of the night, Tohru and Yuki spent it by texting each other. They started talking about their love for one another, while Tohru was desperate to show him that she loved Yuki more than he loved her. She didn't feel like debating with Yuki just yet, so the conversation turned into... you know what it is.

_I don't know if I can face the world like this._

Yuki texted back a question mark – and Tohru tried simplifying it out:

_I don't think I have the guts, or the strength of a superstar. Maybe father was right... I can dream, but I shouldn't expect them to come true._

For once, Tohru agreed with her father's words. She didn't know what it was, but something was preventing her to follow her dreams.

_Nonsense! Your father isn't right at all! Some dreams don't come true, but some do. You are brave, determined, and a very smart and beautiful girl! You can do this, and you have my support!_

_You have my support... _Finally, to hear those words – she remembered Kagura telling her once that whatever Tohru faced, they would face it together. She smiled at that thought. But then, she wondered why her father said her friends don't support her. Did he think they were being nice to me because he thought they knew very well that her dreams will never be accomplished?

Her thoughts turned to this sudden urge to hold back. Something was wrong... she never thought of holding back from her aims in life. She made a vow to herself, that no matter whatever troubles she faced, she would never give up. What was happening...?

* * *

Tohru must've fallen asleep, because the very next time her eyes opened, the room was filled with light and she could smell miso soup from the distance.

She checked her phone for the time – 8:30 a.m. – but along with the time, she found five unread messages, that all were from Yuki. Four of them were the usual ones asking if she was there or if she was alive, and the other one was asking her if the two can meet up at sometime during the day.

Tohru replied back:

_We could meet up somewhere around eleven. _

She patiently waited for a respond, and when it came, it said:

_Great idea! There's actually a place that I wanted to take you... it's a surprise. I'll meet you... let's say the park? _

_A surprise... Oh no! _Tohru couldn't handle surprises very well. She's always dying to know what it is, or then she ends up begging to know. _I have to be calm,_ she thought several times. She got up, and went to the washroom to freshen up.

Five minutes later, she was at the table with Kagura, and in front of her was a bowl of miso soup and a few sour plums.

"Good morning sleepy-head!" exclaimed Kagura. Tohru smiled in return and took her place in the dining table.

"It's too bad that I don't get to see your parents. Are they really that busy?" Tohru asked, before it was followed by a yawn.

"Yeah," Kagura sighed, "I really miss spending time with them." But the sad look suddenly turned into a smile, "Well, come on! This food isn't going to eat by itself!"

As they ate, Kagura suddenly asked her, "So, are you going out again today?"

Tohru nodded as she finished her bowl of miso soup, "I'm meeting someone today."

Kagura's eyes filled with great interest, which Tohru was aware of, "It's not – it's nothing like – Tohru really couldn't think of anything to say. Kagura doesn't know who Yuki is, and she would be lying to her if she said Yuki wasn't her boyfriend.

Finally, she took a deep breath, "His name is Yuki Sohma."

Tohru didn't know whether Kagura was puzzled or she had nothing to say, because no words came out of her mouth. She sat there, staring at Tohru. She blinked a few times before she finally said, "Yuki Sohma..."

Now it was Tohru's turn to be confused, "You know him?"

Kagura shook her head, "Not in person, but he is Kyo's cousin."

"Really?" Tohru couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was that really true? The two of them were cousins?

"Well, their last names are _Sohma_," Kagura stated bluntly, "Didn't you notice?"

To answer Kagura's question...no, she didn't notice. It was either she was completely mesmerized by Yuki's charm and looks, or she just wasn't paying attention. And adding onto that, _Sohma_ is a common name. Even if she _did_ pay attention, she still wouldn't have had that thought across her mind.

"Anyways, Kyo told me they hate each other." Kagura again stated.

"Why do they hate each other?" Tohru was curious to know.

Kagura shrugged, "Kyo never told me that, and it's none of my business, so I shouldn't ask either." Tohru nodded in agreement (Well, let's just say she never thought it that way).

Tohru finished her sour plum, and got up from the table, "Well, we talked for quite a bit, its 10:00!"

"When do you have to meet...him?" Kagura asked with a smile planted on her face. Tohru laughed, "Eleven o' clock...around that time."

"Okay then, have fun!" Kagura winked and left for the kitchen to clean up.

"It's not – never mind..." _Oh who am I thinking?_

Tohru went in her room and picked one of her most favourite outfits. She didn't really wear this a lot because she saved it for special occasions: a black elbow sleeve T-shirt, and white skin-tight jeans with blue streaks added in. She didn't know why she loved this outfit so much, but it somehow made her different as a person. She decided to curl her hair, and wear a necklace that she got from Kagura from her birthday. That's all... a simple outfit that Tohru really seems to love.

30 minutes after she put the outfit on (including the jewellery – and she only curled the hair that was next to her bangs), she tried putting on some make-up. Tohru never liked putting make-up on because she wanted to keep her natural beauty for as long as she could. Today however, she wanted a change.

After she was completely ready, she checked the time again – 10:45. _Fifteen more minutes, _she thought as she went towards the door. On the way, she bumped into Kagura, "Whoa!" she exclaimed, and started laughing, "Is this guy really special?"

Tohru just smiled, and hugged her best friend, "I gotta go, bye!"

She grabbed her black uggs and white purse, and ran out the door.

**A/N: Yes, I know this chapter wasn't very entertaining, but it will be in the next chapter! Also I have a new story, it's called The Story Of Us (Part One), so please read and review!**


	11. Love that will Last

**A/N: Helloooooo! How are you liking this story so far? I hope I'm not wasting your time...**

**I'm only 14 reviews away until 100! COME ON! Please review, each one of you! Please help me get there so I don't have to annoy you anymore with this message over and over again! **

**Okay... my special mention: The marvellous Saiyara-chan!**

Tohru made her way outside Kagura's house after putting her uggs on. She, once again, checked the time – _ten minutes..._

She thought of calling Yuki so she could tell him she might be a tad bit late. She dialled his number, and waited patiently for him to pick up.

"_Hello?"_

"Yuki," Tohru said, "I might be a bit late, sorry about that. Where are you now?"

"_Well, you could try looking behind you."_

_Behind me?_ Tohru slowly twisted her head, and then turned her whole body around to find a smiling Yuki standing fifteen feet away from her. Tohru laughed, and ran right in his arms.

"Hey," said Tohru, still gripping onto him.

Yuki began stroking her hair, and lifted her chin. From there, he gave her a gentle kiss. Tohru put her hands around his neck, and kissed him back. After a few seconds, they let go of each other, while both their lips craved for more.

Yuki slid his hand gently down her cheek, "You look pretty today," he added with a smile, "I don't think I saw you wearing makeup before."

Tohru gave him a small smile, "I wanted to try something different... you know?" She then got serious, "So, where were you planning on taking me?"

Tohru could swear that Yuki's face went pink for just a moment, "Oh yeah! But promise me you will close your eyes and keep them shut."

Tohru shook her head, "Bad idea, I've been dying to know ever since you told me. I don't really trust myself."

But as she spoke, Yuki put his hand over her eyes, and his other hand on her shoulder, "Okay, I'll be very careful not to let you get hurt, okay?"

All Tohru could do was laugh.

The trip didn't take very long; according to how Tohru's feet were feeling. She could hear the sound of water, and she also felt a nice cool breeze. Yuki slowly slid his hand off her eyes, and let Tohru see his special surprise.

There, Tohru's eyes met with a small lake with a small waterfall. Rocks were all over the sand beneath her feet. She found flowers and bushes, and a nice brown patio set. She also found a matching patio swing right beside the patio set, with white cushions rested on them.

All Tohru could do was stare – everything was so beautiful to her. From the flowers to the lake, every bit of this place made her feel wonderful. She turned to face Yuki, who smiled back at her. Tohru's eyes were filled with happiness, as she ran towards him and hugged him again. Yuki lifted her up this time, and spun her around.

"Do you like it?" Yuki asked her as he released and set her back on the ground.

Tohru laughed, "I love it! Thank you so much!" She bent over and gave Yuki a soft peck on his lips, "Why would you go through all this trouble for me?"

Yuki shrugged, "I wanted to make it special. Parks and coffee shops aren't very romantic, you know."

Tohru rested her head on Yuki's shoulder, "Thank you for making this day so special for me."

Yuki put his arms around Tohru, embracing her. Around her, he forgot everything around him. Her presence was enough for him to feel as if he needed nothing else. He was willing o do anything for her, and he is willing to always be there whenever she needed someone to hold onto to.

Tohru tried to separate from him – as she thought it was getting a bit awkward, but Yuki pushed her back into his arms, "No, stay here." Tohru's chin rested on his shoulder, "Just stay here," Yuki repeated, as he kissed her neck. Tohru closed her eyes shut as she felt his lips on her neck. Then those lips moved up her face, and back on her lips. She held his tightly, and rested her head on his shoulder.

After a while, they both separated, but Yuki still craved more. He felt so lost without Tohru, as if his heart dropped to his stomach. Her touch was so soothing, her voice – singing or not – was heaven for him, and her smile was like a million watts of brightness.

"Yuki..." Tohru whispered in his ear. Yuki looked at her, and kissed her lips once more before he let her finish. Tohru kept her eyes shut, as she kissed him. She released herself from the kiss and his embrace, and started walking away from him.

Yuki tried stepping closer to her, but that only made Tohru go backwards. "What's wrong?" Yuki looked very worried; why didn't she want to be near him.

"I'm holding back because of you Yuki," she finally said, while a tear slid down her eye. Yuki still looked worried – but he was confused. What Tohru was trying to say, he couldn't understand very clearly.

Tohru noticed his expressions, "I don't want to have to choose between you or my career, Yuki."

Tohru wiped her tears away, "I don't want to make any more compromises, and I don't want to lose you either. I-I love you too much. I don't want to forget or ignore you."

Yuki felt her pain just as much as she experienced it. "I don't want to have to leave you." Tohru put her hands over her face, and cried in them.

Just then, Tohru felt two hands wrapping around her waist. "You won't have to, Tohru."

Tohru put her hand on his cheek and let her head rest against his chest, "I don't care if you're a superstar, or an international sensation. To me, you're my Tohru. You don't need a guitar to impress me; you don't need a beautiful voice to win my heart. I want us to spend every moment like it is our last."

Her hot tears fell on her shirt, as she listened to every word Yuki was saying.

"I literally surrendered to you, from the day we met, I was awestruck, and just those moments that I spent with you, had I realized that feeling was love."

Tohru turned around towards him, and took his hands into hers, "From you, I could really learn a lot..."

She wiped her tears, and replaced her sad look with a smile, "Come on, and let's have some fun!"

She grabbed Yuki's hand, and dragged him to the river. Once they were in the water, Yuki was soaking wet. But that didn't stop Tohru from splashing him continuously with water. Later, Yuki got really tired of Tohru doing that to him, so like they say: _If you can't beat them, join them. _Yuki cupped his hands, and started splashing water towards Tohru, whose makeup got completely washed off.

About fifteen minutes later, Yuki and Tohru headed for the patio swing. Tohru sat down while Yuki lay down on her thighs. Tohru stroked Yuki's hair gently, and smiled at him, "I love you." Tohru said. Yuki also smiled in return, "I know." He grabbed the back of her head, and pulled her down to kiss her.


	12. Jealousy, not Hate

**A/N: Yay! I have 95 reviews! Thank you so much everyone! I only have 6 more to go! Please don't forget to review! I think my favorite chapter was the last one...**

**Special Mention: ALL my viewers! **

Rain started to pour down as Tohru sat down inside a coffee shop (not Starbucks) and drank a cup of hot coffee. On the way home from her date with Yuki, it started to rain. Tohru was afraid to catch a cold because of the many times she has drenched in the rain. She also played in the lake with Yuki, so she didn't want to take any chances.

The date was still clear in her mind... it gave her goose bumps when she remembered his warmth on her body. She sighed, and looked out the window. She could see a bit of her reflection, and smiled as she saw her reflection smile back at her. Tohru felt as if she had everything she wanted – an awesome best friend, a warm house, her guitar (her other best friend), and a loving... was Yuki really her boyfriend now? She felt her cheeks go red at that thought. She loved him, and he loved her... so that made them boyfriend and girlfriend.

A waitress took her empty cup away, and handed her the bill, "Thank you," said Tohru and put the amount of money onto the tray.

Tohru closed her eyes for a moment – she never had a boyfriend before. She didn't know whether it was because she was too busy to find one or she just didn't want to find one. _I guess I just waited for my Prince Charming to come to me, instead of me coming to him,_ she thought with a chuckle.

At the same time, however, she was also worried. Sometimes, in order to meet your desires and goals in life, you need to make compromises. You need to give something up to get what you want. Will she have to give up Yuki? He denied it though, but Tohru wasn't sure why.

"Well, looks like someone's lost in thought."

Tohru's eyes met with a pair of red eyes, and she laughed. It was Kyo, all soaked in the rain water.

"Hey! What were you doing out there in the rain?" Tohru asked as Kyo wiped his face with a napkin on the table, and sat down on the chair opposite of her.

"I was going to meet Kagura, but then I saw you all by yourself, so I thought you could use some company," he smiled and then suggested, "We could walk to her place once the rain stops or slows down."

Tohru nodded, "That's a great idea!" She still didn't forget what Kagura told her about Kyo and Yuki being cousins. Should she tell him about her and Yuki? Would he laugh, or would he not care? Would he start pointing all the reasons why she shouldn't be going out with him? She never told Kagura either, but she didn't she had to, as Kagura already figured it out. Maybe Kagura would tell Kyo... no. She wanted to tell him herself.

"Do you know anyone in the name of Yuki Sohma?" she asked as if she was discussing the weather.

No sound came out of Kyo – his jaw didn't drop either. His eyes got really big though. He stayed that way for a moment, but snapped out of it and sighed, "That sissy boy is my cousin."

_Kagura __**was**__ right, _Tohru thought, _they are cousins, and they hate each other._

"Do you know him?" Kyo asked with eyes full of interest. Tohru felt hesitant to answer, because she was worried how he was going to react.

Tohru knew she had to get this over with, because knowing Kagura, she would tell him, "H-he's my b-boy-f-friend." She stuttered, trying to keep her voice steady, "yeah, he's my boyfriend."

Was Kyo speechless, or was he trying to prevent himself from laughing – Tohru wasn't able to tell. He just sat there, looking at her, with what appeared to be a shocked expression.

"Are you serious?" Kyo didn't yell at her, but Tohru felt as if he thought she was a complete idiot. Tohru was pretty sure he thought she was crazy, but what she really wanted to know _why _they hated each other so much.

"Before you start with your reasons on why Yuki isn't going to be a good boyfriend, can you please tell me why you guys hate each other?"

Kyo sighed again, "When we were kids, we would go to the same school. People say first impressions are what people judge you by, and since Yuki has a pretty-boy baby face, there were girls literally drooling over him. We were only 5!"

To Tohru's surprise... she really wasn't surprised that Yuki had so many girls admiring him. If Tohru was there, she would be drooling over him too.

"As we grew up, everything stayed the same: everyone kept complimenting him about his looks, charms, brains – he was also good at sports. He even had a fan-club AND was named Prince Yuki!"

"_Prince Yuki"... fan club... compliments... no wonder Kyo hates him, _thought Tohru as she listened to Kyo's story. He went on about how he was envious about how everyone was too busy looking up to him.

"That's the way it's been ever since we were kids. He had always been the smart one, he knew how to get stuff done, he's good with people, and everyone around him kept telling him how talented he is and stuff. He doesn't even have to try and they all look up to him."

Even though Tohru didn't know Kyo very well, she saw a flash of sadness through Kyo's eyes.

"Things got even crazy when this girl named Machi Kuragi –

Tohru stopped him, "Yeah, I know about her." Kyo nodded and rested his chin on his arm, "I'm sick and tired of him!"

Tohru looked at Kyo with a sad expression on her face. Did Kyo really believe people thought Yuki was the best in every way? Did he really feel that he was just someone who blended in the crowd unnoticed?

"I don't think you hate him, you are envious of him." Tohru stated. Kyo looked up at her as if she was crazy, "Now before you say anything, let me say this..."

"Everything you have said about Yuki are all the positive things about him. But in your perspective, you find them negative. You are jealous of him because he possesses certain qualities that you don't have."

Kyo wondered if what Tohru said was right. He re-called everything he said about Yuki – and yes, they were positive... and yes; he wished he had his qualities.

"But that doesn't mean there aren't good things about you!" She remembered the conversation she had with Kagura this morning:

_I spoke with Yuki once on the phone. He called here by accident because he was trying to contact his uncle. I knew who he was at that time and the relationship between the two of them. I started talking to him about Kyo, and Yuki started telling me all these nice things about him... he said "Kyo is shy when he first meets people, but when he gets to understand and know them better, he would be himself. Because of who he is, he could be accepted by people around him. That's what I've always wanted. People all around me say how nice I am, but I only act nice so people would accept me. That's not the way I really feel, I'm just... I'm just selfish." _

"I heard from Kagura that Yuki said a lot of nice things about you too." Tohru said while smiling. Kyo's eyes looked shocked, and he looked down on the table.

"He said that he is jealous of the fact that you get to be yourself in front of people, but he can't. He acts nice so people would accept him, but that's not how he really feels. He said that he's...selfish." Tohru took those words right out of Yuki's mouth.

Kyo's eyes still didn't meet Tohru's, but he listened to what she had to say. But... he suddenly said, "Is he like that with you?"

Tohru gave out a soft chuckle, "Well... I-I don't think so... umm – I don't know to be honest."

She then smiled, "But no matter who he is, he's going to be the one I love, and nothing will change that."

"What I'm trying to say is that you two don't hate each other, but are jealous of each other's personalities. You two are blinded by the desire to be like each other that you can't understand the good things about yourself. So basically, you're jealous of something that is also jealous of you."

"Gee... I never thought about it that way... I guess you're right." Kyo said, as he scratched the back of his head. He pushed aside his orange hair, and stood up from his seat, "Well the rain stopped, we should head to Kagura's place."

Tohru looked outside – it was still cloudy, but the rain stopped. There were small puddles all over the roads, and there was a light breeze waving with the trees.

"Alright, let's go." Tohru said while smiling. Kyo and Tohru both left the coffee shop and headed to Kagura's house. Tohru checked her phone for the time, but her eyes got pulled towards an unread message. It was from Yuki, and it was a simple _"Hey."_

An idea snapped inside Tohru's head. She looked at Kyo who was beside her, and then her eyes went back to her phone. She texted Yuki Kagura's address and also said:

_Meet me there in fifteen minutes._


	13. I Don't Hate You

**A/N: AHHHHH! 120! Thank you everyone for helping me to get to 100! OMG this is so amazing, especially for a new-comer who half-the-time believes her next chapter is going to be horrible.**

**Special Mention: CuteCrazyKitteh12 **_**and**_** Whispers and Rain!**

**And of course to my 100****th**** reviewer: I'm awesome at singing!**

* * *

_Meet me there in fifteen minutes._

Tohru closed her phone and tucked it back in her purse. The puddles from the rain began to disappear, and the wind began to die down. Kyo looked as if he was drying up too. What he was unaware of... was the plan that Tohru was planning in her head at the moment as they were walking to Kagura's house. Tohru figured if Kyo thought the same thoughts as Yuki, he had to understand why their relationship was never positive.

Tohru took her phone out again to check the time... _Yuki will be there in 10 minutes! _Thoughts were circling around her head at that moment, but where she and Kyo was right now, it would be another five-minute walk.

"So... Tohru," began Kyo, "What are you planning to do to help yourself be a pop star?"

For once, Tohru was stumped; she hadn't thought about that in a while. She had been so busy with other things that her head wasn't in her career anymore. "I just have to wait for my time to come," Tohru said simply. Everything had a time, and Tohru believed it wasn't her time yet. She still believed she had a lot to do in order for her to get to a singer's level, let alone a pop star.

Kyo nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, sometimes it's best to wait. But don't give up, because sooner or later you're gonna regret it and wished you could rewind your life and do everything over."

Stunned at what Kyo just stated, all Tohru did was smile at him.

After a while, Tohru and Kyo reached Kagura's house... only to find Yuki there first. He was standing at the door with Kagura.

"Oh, so you're Yuki! I was wondering when I would get to meet you!" exclaimed Kagura as she shook Yuki's hand. Yuki responded with a smile, "Pleasure to meet you too, Kagura."

Kagura's glance turned to the completely stunned Kyo, whose eyes got really big after seeing Yuki, "Kyo! Why didn't you tell me Yuki was coming over?"

Tohru was just as stunned as Kyo was. Even though she told him to come over, she didn't know he would be this quick.

"I didn't know he was coming over Kagura," Kyo replied, "I haven't seen him in a while anyways."

Yuki looked very puzzled too, but he didn't say anything. His eyes turned towards Tohru, who had been silent the whole time. She looked back at him, and gave him a nervous smile.

"I invited him here," said Tohru as she walked towards the door, while grabbing onto Kyo's arm, "Come on!" she whispered to him.

Kyo let Tohru drag him inside the house, with Kagura and Yuki following along. "I'm not going to talk to him!" Kyo whispered back to Tohru, but she didn't listen to him, "You guys need to talk, and you need to break this fake hatred between the two of you!"

The four of them went to Kagura's living room, and let the both of them sit. Kagura was about to take a seat herself, but Tohru stopped her, "Let's go to our bedroom," she whispered in her ear so the boys couldn't hear them. Kagura looked confused, but followed her to their room, leaving Kyo and Yuki alone.

As the two girls entered their room, Kagura was demanding for explanations, "What is going on here? Why can't we join them?"

Tohru let out a sigh, "Remember when you told me they hate each other?" Kagura's confused look started to fade away, "So... you are planning to get them to be friendly towards each other?"

"I hope so," said Tohru as the two girls peaked out the door to listen to their conversation.

They tried to listen to what the two of them were saying to each other, but they couldn't hear anything. "They aren't even talking to each other!" whispered Kagura.

Tohru closed her eyes in disappointment... _Come on Kyo, say something!_

Kyo must've heard her, because he was the first one to find the guts to break the silence, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Yuki simply shrugged his shoulders, "What is there to say?"

"You could tell me where you've been for all this time," said Kyo, looking down on the wooden floor, "We haven't talked in nearly five months."

"I moved on with life," said Yuki with the same blank look on his face, "Why would you want to know?"

To Yuki's surprise, Kyo started yelling, "Why do you mean by that?! Why would I NOT want to know?!"

Yuki couldn't understand anything clearly at all – what was with this sudden outburst of caring that his cousin that he hated for most of his life was showing all of a sudden? "What has gotten in to you?"

Kyo took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, "Nothing has gotten into me – just tell me what happened to you. Did you disappear because of that Machi girl who –

"Kyo, I'm seriously going to punch you right now!" threatened Yuki with a cold, sharp tone. That was the last thing he needed to hear about, "There is something wrong with you. I thought you hated me!"

_I thought you hated me... _Those words bounced back and forth in his head. He started to remember the words Tohru stated to him: _You don't hate him; you're just envious of his talents. _

"I don't hate you."

Did Yuki hear him right? Did Kyo just say that he didn't hate him? More importantly, was that true, or was he just mentally crazy. The last time he remembered talking to him was when Kyo yelled at his face for calling him 'stupid'.

"Before you go on yammering about if I've gone crazy or not, I really meant it. I don't hate you."

Okay, even thought Kyo denied it, Yuki thought he was definitely messed up. "What are you talking about? Are you sure you are okay?"

Kyo closed his eyes and shook his head, "I REALLY mean it! I don't hate you. It's just – I'm jealous of you!"

"Jealous?" asked Yuki, confused at what Kyo just said, "Why would you be jealous of me? I'm jealous of you!"

Both Kyo and Yuki were stunned at what Yuki just said. Tohru was right... they were jealous of each other, but that jealousy turned to hate.

"So... you don't hate me either?" asked Kyo. Yuki shook his head, "I guess not... anymore."

There was a moment of silence... and then the both of them burst into laughter.

As they were laughing, Kagura and Tohru were smiling from their room. "Good job Tohru!" Kagura whispered happily, "That was amazing – how did you..."

Tohru simply shrugged, "All it takes... is understanding." Watching the two of them together made her feel so much better.

"You know... someone told me that I was jealous of something that was jealous of me," said Kyo as he stopped laughing, "At first I thought she was crazy, but then... I knew that she made a good point."

"Who was that?" asked Yuki, but he paused for a minute, and looked towards the direction which Tohru and Kagura went in. He managed to get a glimpse of Tohru's smiling face. He shook his head in amazement as Tohru gave him a quick wink and disappeared into the room.

A small smile crossed over Yuki's lips as Kyo was talking, "You really were the star back then; you were talented, smart, you knew how to get things done, you were good with people, and everyone called you charming and handsome."

"I guess so... but there was one thing you had that made all my qualities useless: you were able to be yourself around people and they liked you for that." Yuki sighed, "That was something I've always wanted of yours."

Kyo nodded, "There were a lot of things about you that I wanted in my personality too, and I ended up hating you and I planned to hate you for the rest of my life. But hey, can we – you know, be cousins again?"

Yuki laughed, "We were, and always will be cousins. No matter how much I might hat or torment you, you'll always be my cousin..." He paused for a moment, "And I'm happy that you're my cousin too."

"Are you serious?" asked Kyo, not exactly believing what Yuki was saying at the moment.

But Yuki simply nodded and said, "Like I said, I was never mad at you, and I don't think I ever hated you... I'm sorry."

Kyo had a surprised look on his face, "I really wish I had brought my voice recorder today!"

"You own a voice recorder?" asked Yuki. Kyo shrugged, "You never know when you might need one."

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be smart, you couldn't understand that you never actually hated me." Kyo said with a smile on his face.

"If you don't shut up, I WILL punch you!" said Yuki sharply, which shut Kyo up, "Okay I'm sorry... geez..."

They looked at each other for a moment, and then started laughing again.


	14. Bad News

**A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you so much again for getting me to my goal... and yes! I have made another goal! My new goal is now 200 – no – 250! I want to see if I really can do it! Also, if you like this story, you should check out **_**Dear Agony **_**by **_**The Character's Death. **_**It's pretty similar to this story, where Yuki is a heavy metal rock star! I thought it was exceptional and please check it out! :)**

**Oh, and I got this FABULOUS review from **_**The Character's Death**_**, so I want to thank her for that, and also all my viewers for taking time to read my story, it's just amazing! Thank you so much! **

**On with the story! **

* * *

This was it; Yuki and Kyo were friends now... well, not quite. At least according to Tohru, they still didn't get along very well. Yuki stayed over for the day, and the four of them were spending time together... almost like a family. Things between Kyo and Yuki weren't getting a lot better – like Kyo was still yelling at him, and they were getting into fights very often (mostly because Kyo kept yelling at Yuki and he wouldn't shut up), but Tohru never felt a vibe of hatred between the two cousins.

It was weird – when Tohru met Kyo for the first time, he was gentle and sweet. She never heard him yell before, but hey; there were a lot of things she didn't know to begin with.

"So, are you two like..." began Kagura while eying Tohru and Yuki. Tohru sighed, and Yuki responded with a sweet smile. Kyo had no idea what was going on, so he just kept his mouth shut.

"Kagura... I didn't think I would have to tell you... you don't know Yuki – she was questioning about you this morning!" Tohru said with a laugh that never seemed to end.

"Well, I was just wondering..." Kagura said in her own defence, while Tohru still wouldn't stop laughing.

"I know... I'm sorry." Tohru started to stop laughing, but it wasn't gone yet. After a few more giggles, it seemed to have stopped. "Sorry, I had a laugh attack."

Yuki responded with a soft laugh, while Tohru rested her head on his shoulder. Yuki wrapped his arm around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

Right at that moment, Tohru's phone rang. She broke from Yuki's arm and got up to receive the call, "Sorry, I'll be back in a moment."

Tohru quickly went to her bedroom and received the call, "Hello," she said. A soft cry responded on the other end. Tohru was confused – that cry sounded a lot like –

"Mom?" she whispered, but there was not a voice to be heard. The cries kept responding her every attempt to talk.

"T-Tohru..." her mother finally managed to stutter her name out. But she cried louder. Tohru didn't know what to do – she wasn't there to comfort her. "Mom, please calm down. What's wrong?"

Again... no respond came from the other line. Tohru was desperate to make Kyoko stop crying, and she was getting worried herself. What could've happened? Did she and Katsuya get into another fight? Has someone gotten hurt?

"I-I'm in t-the h-hospital..." she stuttered softly, making Tohru more worried. "You're in the hospital? Why are you there? What happened?"

Her voice got louder, causing the Kagura, Kyo, and Yuki to overhear her talking. Kagura got worried when Tohru mentioned _hospital, _so did Yuki.

"Your f-father h-had a h-heart a-attack..."

Tohru felt as if something stabbed her in the heart, continuously – the broken words that came out of her mother's lips were the knives. She didn't say anything – her words were stuck in her throat. No matter how much she wanted to speak, she couldn't. A hot tear streamed down from her eye, following with more. She wiped them away, but it was no use – they kept streaming down her eyes. He was still alive, but...

"I'll be right over..." Tohru said through her tears, "Everything is going to be alright, mom. Nothing will happen to him... nothing..."

She wished for her words to come true. She hung up from the conversation, and she went back to the living room with her teary eyes.

"Tohru?" Kagura had a worried look across her face, "What happened? Are you alright?"

Yuki stood up from the floor and put his hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong? Is someone hurt?"

Her words still didn't make it out of her throat – they were still stuck. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, and they wouldn't stop watering. She felt like collapsing into Yuki's arms, whose touch seemed to sooth her emotions by a bit, but she still felt like she was going to fall down... and stay that way for the rest of her life.

"My dad..." she was able to say at last, but nothing else came out of her mouth. Yuki gripped her shoulders with both his hands and said, "What happened to him?"

Tohru's cries, just like Kyoko's, grew even more as she spoke. She didn't want to believe any of it; she wanted to think this was all a dream, but it just felt too real...

"He h-had a h-heart attack," she stuttered. She wanted to keep her voice steady, but she failed miserably.

The whole room was silent; Kyo sat up in the sofa with a worried look on his face. Yuki's hands slowly left Tohru's shoulders, and a tear also fell down Kagura's cheek, "Is he..."

Tohru shook her head, "No, at least not yet. I have to go to the hospital."

"I'll take you... I brought my car with me." Yuki stroked Tohru's hair, "Everything will be alright, I'm sure of it."

Tohru nodded silently, as she followed Yuki outside the door. Kagura stopped them to give Tohru a big warm hug, "It's alright Tohru – he will be alright."

Kyo stood up, and gave Tohru a reassuring look as she kept hugging Kagura, "I hope so..." whispered Tohru, while her tears fell on Kagura's shoulder...

Kyo went over and put his hand on Tohru's shoulder, "It's going to be okay."

Moments later, the two friends broke apart, and Tohru went outside, where Yuki was waiting for her. Tohru got inside the black car, and stared out the window. Yuki looked at her for a moment – she was in a lot of pain. She didn't face him, and she was still crying.

* * *

As Yuki was driving, he reached out for Tohru's hand, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Tohru did the same, but when she faced him, he was looking at the road. Tohru still kept looking at him, as she felt better when she was with him. She was holding his hand, taking the warmth in bit by bit.

"Thank you." Tohru whispered softly, grasping onto his hand. Even though Tohru couldn't see it very well, Yuki smiled in return, "Don't worry – it's okay."

"I hope so..." Her tears haven't stopped yet. She didn't bother to wipe them anymore... if they were going to fall no matter what she did, why not let them?

Her eyes didn't leave Yuki; she was so thankful for him for helping her like this, she just wouldn't be able to thank him enough.

"I hope this isn't too much for you – I'm really sorry." Tohru said softly. She kept holding onto Yuki's hand.

"It's okay... I just want you to get there on time... before..." Yuki's words broke off when he realized what he was just about to say, "Everything will be fine."

They reached the hospital after a while, and Tohru and Yuki made their way to the front desk as fast as they could. But just as they were about to reach the desk, a nurse spotted the two of them, "Are you Tohru Honda?"

Tohru, who was breathless, nodded slowly. The nurse sighed of relief, "Oh thank goodness; your mother isn't coping very well with this. I'll take you to her."

Tohru and Yuki looked at each other, and then followed the nurse, who was already walking ahead. They passed by different rooms with different patients, passed rushing doctors and nurses, and passed the loved ones of the patients.

Soon, they reached the location in where Kyoko was; the nurse was right – she did not look too good.

The nurse put her hand on Tohru's shoulder, gave her a small smile, and left for her other duties. Tohru slowly walked towards her mother, who had her hands covering her face. "Mom..."

Kyoko looked up, and stared at her for a moment with her red teary eyes. Tohru wrapped her arms around her and cried her heart out. Kyoko gently stroked her hair and kept telling her to hush.

Her eyes went towards Yuki, "Who are you?" she asked him.

"My name is Yuki Sohma. I'm –

Would it be right to tell her that he was Tohru's boyfriend? Maybe he should let Tohru say it, since she was her mother.

"He's a friend of mine, and he got me here." Tohru spoke up as she lifted her head to face her mother. Kyoko looked at Yuki, and gave him a small sad smile.

"Is he..."

Tohru was scared; she didn't want him to die. Even though he was the same person she fought with most of her life – the same person who tried destroying her every attempt of doing what she loved doing the most, the same person who would rip the songs from her notebook when she wasn't there, the same person who tried tricking her in to re-entering the cage which she left long ago, he was still her father. He was the one who nurtured her, took care of her, fed her, and held her. She loved him – no matter what he would do or how angry he would get, she loved him very much.

Kyoko left the Yuki and Tohru alone for a while to speak to a nurse who had called her. Yuki slowly made his way towards Tohru, who was leaning against a wall, crying. "Tohru..." Yuki tried to wipe her flowing tears away, but he felt Tohru's arms wrapping around him. Before he knew it, Tohru was now crying in his arms.

Yuki gently stroked her hair, and brushed a soft kiss on her forehead, "Tohru, it's okay," he said softly, "It's okay..."

"He can't die," said Tohru through her tears, "He can't..." Yuki kept stroking her hair, trying to calm her down, "He won't die; nothing is going to happen to him."

Just then, the same nurse who was talking to Kyoko came towards them. Tohru saw her and immediately separated from Yuki, "Is everything alright?" Tohru asked, praying that she said yes...

"Your father wants to see you."


	15. Goodbye

**A/N: Okay... I just want to thank all my viewers for welcoming just another girl into this family of writers, and I'm very happy to be a part of FanFiction. **

**This chapter is dedicated to a dear friend of mine, and one of my biggest supporters, **_**The Character's Death. **_**Oh, don't forget to check****out**_** "Dear Agony", **_**I think she did a fantastic job!**

* * *

"Your father wants to see you," the nurse spoke with a soft and clear tone, hoping that Tohru would calm down, "But if you don't feel comfortable doing so –

Tohru interrupted the nurse with a small nod. She really wasn't sure if she wanted to see him – she didn't feel as if she had enough courage to face him. All those years of rebelling and fighting for freedom, she was able to stand up to the one who was always standing in her way – who was like a cage surrounding her for about half her life. She was able to do something she didn't have the guts to do before, and she was happy that she did it. But now, she felt guilty. Not because of her wanting freedom, but for the war that was between a father and a daughter.

"I don't think I can do this..." Tohru said softly, while closing her eyes shut and letting tears escape her eyes. She was scared to see her father like this. It was hard for her to see him go through this. Yuki, who felt horrible seeing Tohru like this, took her in his arms again. Tohru hugged him back, while her tears dropped on down his neck. "It's okay Tohru, go talk to him," Yuki planted a soft kiss on her cheek, feeling her tears on his lips, "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No... t-that's alright," Tohru broke apart from him, and wiped her own tears, "I'll go by myself – I want to be able to do this much."

Yuki nodded, and Tohru went up to the nurse, "I want to go see him."

The nurse nodded her head, but still didn't feel sure whether Tohru was comfortable with the idea. She had heard her cry quite a bit, and she could only imagine what she was going through along with her mother. "Are you sure you are comfortable doing so?"

Tohru took a deep breath, "Yes, I'm very sure. I want to..." Though her mind told her not to, her heart told her to do so.

Though the nurse wasn't a hundred percent sure this was the right thing to do, she still led Tohru to the room her father was in. Tohru looked back to face Yuki, and all he did was give her a warm smile, which soothed her aching heart. She smiled back at him, and turned around to follow the nurse. She led her to a room which was on the other end of the hospital.

"Your mother is already in there with him right now," the nurse began to say as they were walking, "Do you want her to be in the room, or would you like to speak to him by yourself?"

"I want to speak to him myself." Tohru responded back quietly. Her eyes were fixed to the floor as she kept following the nurse. "Are you sure you want to do this?" the nurse couldn't help but ask her just once more before she went in that room.

Tohru stopped walking to take a deep breath. The nurse stopped walking as well, "I mean, I understand if –

"Sometimes…" Tohru began to speak, with a small smile on her lips, "Your heart tells you to do things your brain denies."

The nurse looked at her, confused at what she just said. "What do you…?"

She got no reply; all Tohru did was smile as said, "Shall we?"

Tohru and the nurse were close to the room Katsuya was in. Tohru felt her lips quiver and her hands shaking. She felt as if her legs were too stiff that they couldn't be moved anymore. She took several more deep breaths before she entered the room, but a voice was to be heard in there – actually two.

"I want to see my daughter!" Katsuya pleaded to Kyoko, while she tried calming him down, "She'll be here, please don't worry."

"Is she alright? Someone, please get her!"

The once stopped tears in Tohru's eyes fell once again. Here she was standing, hearing her father worried about her – asking for her presence. She ran inside the room to the bed where Katsuya was lying down, and her mother was sitting beside.

"Dad!" she screamed as she ran towards the bed to grab his hand so he wouldn't worry anymore, "I'm here, it's alright…"

Kyoko slowly stood up and followed the nurse outside, leaving the two of them alone. Before she left, she placed her hand on Tohru's shoulder. She stayed that way for a moment, then let go and left the room, with tears flowing out of her own eyes.

Tohru sat on the bed beside him, and kept holding his hand. She looked down, while her hot tears fell on the hand. Katsuya slowly lifted it and wiped her tears away. "Why are you crying for me?"

Tohru finally found the courage to look up to him, face-to-face, "Why wouldn't I be crying for you? I love you!"

There was another moment of silence, but Katsuya broke it by saying, "How could you love someone who didn't love you back? I was a terrible father!"

"No you weren't," Tohru said through her tears, "I loved you because you were my father – because you nurtured me all your life. I love you because you accepted me as a daughter."

A tear slowly ran down Katsuya's cheek. Tohru wiped it away while saying, "Even though you disowned me, you still thought of me as a daughter for all those years that we lived together, laughed together, cried together, and loved together."

"I'm still sorry… for everything I have said and done to you… that weren't right for me to say or do. I love you, and always will." He kept wiping away Tohru's continuously-flowing tears as he spoke, "No matter where life takes me, I will always smile with the fact that my life has been blessed with the birth of a beautiful, determined, rebellious, and kind daughter."

Tohru completely broke apart after he said that. She cried, and cried, and cried for which seemed like the longest time. Katsuya stroked her hair to comfort her, but it really wasn't doing any good. Her emotions took over her mind, and she couldn't help it.

"I know my time is almost over –

"Don't say that!" Tohru cried, "Please… don't say that…"

Katsuya smiled, "But it's the truth. I was in poor health for nearly half my life, and this is my second… and last heart attack."

"Dad, don't say things like that!" pleaded Tohru. Her emotions were getting stronger and stronger, as if she now had absolutely no control over them. She didn't want to talk about this… she didn't want him to die, she just didn't. The pain was too much for her, as if it was eating her alive.

"Thank you, father," said Tohru, "For giving me a chance to fight, a chance to show determination, and a chance to sing."

She slowly wrapped her hands around him and rested her head on his chest. Katsuya gently kissed her forehead, "Thank you, for being the best daughter a father could ever have the pleasure to raise."

Katsuya gave a small smile, and closed his eyes, forever.


	16. Not A Smile To Be Seen

Two weeks – two long, painful weeks since Katsuya passed away. Two weeks of sadness and grief that ached Tohru's heart. Not just Tohru's though… her mother, her family, Kagura, everyone – it affected everyone. But it affected Tohru the most.

It was raining outside, and Tohru was in front of her father's grave. She just sat on the ground, and stared at it. She came here every day ever since her father was buried – sometimes twice a day. She would place flowers on the grave whenever she came and visited it. But all she would really do after that… was stare at it. She wouldn't say anything or do anything… she would just stare at it with an emotionless face.

Tohru watched the raindrops fall on her dead father's grave while she sat on the ground to put the new bouquet of pink carnations on it. A tear escaped her eye as she stared at the grave, but the raindrops concealed it. She closed her eyes, and whispered, "Dad, wherever you are, please give me your blessings…"

She felt if her cries were getting stronger, but she tried to hold it all back. She lost her old life, she lost her home, and now she lost her father. What more did she have to give up? How much more does she owe for her new life? This wasn't right… it just wasn't.

"Tohru, what are you doing here?"

A soft and gentle voice greeted her. She slowly turned her head around to find Yuki behind her. He was holding a black umbrella over his head, and he sat down beside her, while looking at the grave with her, "Are you alright?"

Tohru nodded, but Yuki knew she was lying. He was in the hospital with her that day, and he knew what happened. As soon as Katsuya closed his eyes, Tohru completely lost it. She started crying so loudly that Yuki was able to hear even after standing all the way across the hospital. As soon as he heard her cries, he came rushing through the doors and took Tohru is his arms. Her mother and the nurses saw what was going on and they also tried to calm Tohru down. But it was no use – she wouldn't stop crying. She held onto Yuki and cried until she thought she couldn't cry anymore. Her mother kissed her forehead and kept telling her, "It's okay Tohru, it's okay." But she wouldn't listen at all. Her mother was more concerned about Tohru than herself, so she felt no tears herself.

Tohru stayed that way in Yuki's arms for about an hour, until she whispered, "Take me home…" Ever since that day, Tohru hasn't smiled once.

Kagura was extremely worried about her. She wouldn't eat regularly, she couldn't sleep at night… in fact, she sometimes doesn't notice if someone is talking to her. She wouldn't answer Yuki's calls or text messages, so this was the first time Yuki had seen her in a long time. She often wouldn't even speak to Kagura. She would either stare out the window or close her eyes. She hasn't gone one day without crying.

Kagura spoke to her mother a few times, and she too was very worried about Tohru. She moved out of the old house and now lives with her sister. Kagura sometimes felt if it was the right thing if Tohru went back to her mother... but Tohru didn't want to. She never told her why though…

"Tohru, you're going to catch a cold if you stay here any longer," Yuki said, "You're soaking wet."

"I know that," said Tohru. Yuki stood up, and lent a hand towards Tohru, "Let's go to my place; you need to dry off before you get sick." Tohru took the hand, and she slowly got up. Yuki placed the umbrella over her head, and sighed, "Won't you smile once, for me?"

Tohru didn't respond; she looked up at him, and then rested her head on his shoulder. Yuki wrapped his free arm around Tohru, and tried to keep her calm. He didn't want to see her cry anymore. He knew what it was like to lose a parent – he lost both.

"Come on," said Yuki as they both began to leave the graveyard. His arm was still wrapped around her. As they were walking, Tohru's eyes were fixed on the ground, and she stayed that way the entire time.

After a while, they reached Yuki's house. Once Yuki opened the door, the both of them went inside to dry off from the rain. Yuki closed the umbrella, and turned to Tohru who was still looking down on the floor, "Do you feel cold?" he asked her. Tohru shook her head, but she didn't look up towards him.

That's it; Yuki couldn't take it anymore. He hated seeing Tohru like this. He hated the fact that she never bothered to talk to him, and just when he wanted to make her feel better. He hated the fact that she stopped smiling, and he hated the fact that she wasn't even looking at him. Her smile was the only thing in the world that he could ever ask for, but now it was gone. She wouldn't smile for him anymore…

Yuki walked towards Tohru, and shocked her by grabbing her face with both his hands, "Tohru please… smile!" Yuki pleaded, while Tohru's eyes continued to water, "Tohru, don't do this to me!" Yuki was about to cry himself, while Tohru closed her eyes shut, wanting all of this to stop. "Why won't you smile…?"

Why was he doing this to her? She didn't like it one bit. The warmth in his touch usually soothed her, and made her happier. But now… it feels ice cold and it made her feel uncomfortable.

"Please smile for me!" he yelled, getting more frustrated by the minute.

He went too far; Tohru couldn't help but push him away from her. Yuki's back hit the wall, and he looked as if he really got hurt.

"What's your problem?!" Tohru yelled at him, clearly frustrated, "Why would you force me to smile when I don't want to?" She paused, breathing heavily. She looked at Yuki, who just kept staring at her as if to say 'what did you just do to me?' "Why Yuki… why?"

By then did Yuki understand what he really did.

"It's not easy, okay?" Tohru continued to yell, "It's not easy when someone close to your heart passes away! You've been there…"

Yuki really felt awful now. He knew how much she suffered, and he knew how it felt… he really did. He knew how it was like to lose a parent, and it certainly is not pretty.

"Both your parents died, so did anyone start yelling at you because you weren't smiling?" Tears began to stream down her eyes, "what has gotten into you?!"

She started to head out the door, with anger raging her mind, but she felt Yuki's hand grabbing onto hers. Tohru turned around, and caught the pleading eyes of Yuki, "Please don't go…" he said. Tohru tried to break free from the grasp, but Yuki was much stronger, "Let go of me!" Tohru yelled while trying with all her strength to pull her hand away.

"You have been like this for two weeks!" Yuki said, while letting go of her hand, "You haven't called me once – we never talked at all! Do you know how I felt, and especially when I wanted to be there for you?!"

Tohru's anger started to vanish as she looked at him with her teary eyes. She kept quiet while listening to his every word.

"I wanted to be there for you, but you closed all the doors of happiness and kept everything out… including me." Yuki said as he started to go closer to Tohru, "I can't see you like this… I can't. It's hard for me too! I don't want you to cry… it kills me inside!"

Still not a word came out of her mouth, nor did she stop staring at Yuki with her watery eyes.

Yuki pushed her hair behind her ear, "You might not see it, but it's true. It hurts me too. You are the most important person in my life, and you will always be… because you are my first and only love."

Tohru's eyes got wider after he said that. _First and only love? _Did he really mean that?

"But…" Tohru finally said after a while, "What about –

"I might've been attracted to them, but I never really fell in love with them." Yuki smiled, "Yes, I thought I did, but that really wasn't the case. After meeting you… I was able to realize that. I might've thought I loved them because of their looks or their charming personalities… but it wasn't."

"You were my first love, and you will always be my only love. No matter where you go or what you do. Whether you hate me or leave me – doesn't matter. I will never stop loving you."

It wasn't noticeable at first, but something close to a smile crossed Tohru's lips. It caught Yuki's eye however, and he was smiling too. Two long weeks later, he was seeing that smile again. Two weeks of sadness and tears… and there was the smile.

To Yuki's surprise, Tohru leaned forward and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he held onto her shoulders, kissing her back. A few moments later, they separated. By then Tohru had her bright, beautiful, and warm smile on her lips which lit the entire room. "Thank you…" she said as she let herself fall in his arms.

Yuki got pushed back again at the same wall. He wrapped his arms around Tohru and gave her a warm hug. "Thank you for smiling again…"

"Did I hurt you too much?" She asked him with a worried tone. But Yuki simple shook his head, "I'm fine; it just shocked me."

Tohru broke away from his arms, and said, "I should go home… Kagura might be wondering what happened to me." She said in a soft tone. As she left the house, she looked back once more to face Yuki, and smiled once more.

* * *

**A/N: Well I hope you liked the chapter! :D Okay… I might sound desperate or greedy, but I need more NEW reviewers! PLEASE! ****Favourites and follows will be awesome too! I'm actually focusing on Favourites/Follows now. So please RFF if you like this story, and it doesn't matter which of the three you do, I just want to know who you are so I can thank you later! :D **


	17. Father's Day

"_Tohru, what is that in your hand?" Kyoko looked at the folded piece of paper the eight-year-old Tohru was holding. She smiled brightly at her mother, "I made it for daddy! It's Father's Day today!"_

"_Is it really?" Kyoko laughed as she sat down on the couch next to her daughter, "I guess I forgot! Silly me... so what did you make him?"_

_Tohru unfolded the paper slowly, making sure it doesn't rip or crumple. Kyoko was thinking that it would've been a drawing or a small little note, but when she saw what Tohru had revealed to her... she was speechless. "What is that?"_

"_It's a song! I wrote it for daddy!" she said while smiling. Her pigtails brushed against her cheek as she started jumping around, "Mommy, do you think daddy will like it?"_

_Kyoko smiled and patted the brunette's head gently, "Of course he will!" Tohru squealed with happiness and ran up to her room. Kyoko laughed silently while watching her do so. A song... she never thought Tohru could do something like that. Well, Kyoko didn't read it, and she didn't expect it to be very... very well written, but this was a first for her... it really was. She was never able to imagine her sweet little Tohru doing something like that. Not that it was bad... but it was unusual._

_A small knock on the door interrupted Kyoko's thoughts. She went over to open it, and found a tired Katsuya standing in front of her. He went inside slowly, finding it almost impossible for him to walk. He began to take his shoes off, "Hello... how was work?" Kyoko asked with a bright smile. _

"_I don't want to talk about it. I'm too tired to do anything!" Katsuya grunted as he sat down on the sofa. He placed his hand on his head, "Will you please get me a glass of water?"_

_Kyoko nodded and went straight in the kitchen. Not very long after, Tohru started running back down the stairs. She stopped to see her father sitting in the living room, and began to take deep breaths. __**You can do this... **__she began to say in her mind a number of times. She then out that big smile on her face again and started to walk towards her father._

"_Hi daddy!" she said as she now started to run towards him to give him a big bear hug, but Katsuya stopped her just in time before she had the chance to, "Not now Tohru... daddy is not felling well." He yawned and started to close his eyes. But Tohru didn't listen –_

"_But daddy, do you not know – _

"_What did I just say?!" Katsuya boomed at the little girl, who jumped at the sound of his voice, "I said not now! Why can't you just listen to me for once?!"_

_A look of fear crossed Tohru's once happy face. She wondered why her father acted like this... he never talked to her like that. Her mother was just outside the kitchen with a tall glass of water, but she didn't make a move any further. She was terrified at the way he was acting in front of their daughter. The glass shook slightly while he yelled at the scared little girl._

"_I-I'm s-sorry -_

"_Go upstairs! And talk to me when you learn not to be so self-important!"_

"_I-I just wanted to wish you Happy Father's Day!" Tohru finally was able to choke those words out of her throat. Somehow, Katsuya's anger started to fade away immediately after she said those words. Now he felt as if he was the one who was being self-important..._

"_I m-made it just f-for you... I-I w-wrote you a s-song." Tohru trembled through her pouring tears. She felt as if her heart was being stomped on, and that a knife went right through it. Her tears were uncontrollable no matter how hard she tried to wipe them away. _

_She suddenly turned around and ran up the stairs to her room, leaving Katsuya in complete shattered. _

That event that took place nine years ago... it was still playing inside Tohru's head. She remembered running straight to her room and collapsing right in her bed. She sobbed and sobbed for what seemed like the longest time. She must've cried herself to sleep because the next time she remembered opening her eyes, it was morning.

She began to recite the song in her head, although she never added a melody to it. Could she really consider that song to be her first **ever **song written? She really had no idea...

"Hey Tohru," Kagura said as she entered their bedroom. Tohru smiled in return. "Mother and father told me they were coming home early so they will be able to talk to you today!"

Tohru's smile got even bigger with the news, "That's great! I haven't had a chance to talk to then ever since I moved into this house!"

Kagura was relieved to see her friend smiling again. She felt happier herself and much more relaxed. For the past two weeks – more than two weeks actually – she had been showing signs of abnormal behaviour. She wouldn't eat properly and she couldn't sleep at night. She would start crying every now and then and no one would know when she would stop. Kagura also felt that Tohru was keeping a distance from her... and Yuki also. She once found her cell phone on her bed... and it was vibrating. It was Yuki who was calling her. When Kagura went over to Tohru to tell her that Yuki called her, she simply nodded and walked away. She didn't phone him – she didn't even pick her cell phone up.

"I just remembered something that happened about nine years ago..." Tohru began to speak while laughing softly, "I was eight, and I wrote a song for father because it was Father's Day. He was tired from work, and so when I tried to wish him –

"He started yelling at you?" Kagura guessed after listening to her short story. Tohru nodded slowly, "I guess I didn't have to tell you then..."

"Can I hear the song?"

Tohru began to laugh again, "I actually – to be very honest – when I look at it now... I don't think it's a song anymore. It's more of a poem."

"Well, then can I hear the poem?" Kagura smiled.

Tohru nodded, "Of course. I have it memorized by heart!"

She took a deep breath, and started to recite the very first piece of poetry she had ever written in her life:

_A father is someone..._

_Who cares about you_

_Whatever he says_

_He always speaks the truth_

_..._

_He is someone special_

_Because a bond between you had grown_

_He will always hold your hand_

_Whenever you feel alone_

No melody, no rhythm, but there definitely was emotion. Every word that Tohru recited felt as if they were a single teardrop falling to the ground. She felt her father's presence, and from the day he first held her, she felt his warm breath. The day she took her first step, her father was there to hold her hand. Her first word – well even if it wasn't dad or dada (it was mama), he was the first one to hear it.

_He is someone you can talk to_

_He will make you feel okay_

_He will be with you _

_No matter what journey you take_

_..._

_He is your best brined_

_Because he is the closest to you_

_What I wanted to say daddy_

_Is that I love you_

The poem was finished, and there was complete silence. Tohru looked at Kagura, who looked as if she was about to cry. She broke the silence by saying, "Let me clear something out... you were EIGHT when you wrote this?"

Tohru nodded, "Yeah... I know it's not very good but –

"What the heck are you talking about?" Kagura said while laughing, "That was fantastic!"

"Do you really mean that?" Tohru asked, astonished at her friend's reaction. She never really shared this poem with anyone – not even with Kyoko. She wasn't sure if anyone would like it, but Kagura... she was... oh my.

"But... a little note..." Kagura began, and Tohru looked a bit relaxed now. She knew there were going to be a lot of mistakes in the poem, and she was waiting for Kagura to list them all down. Tohru had never been able to find any mistakes in the poem, even though she read the poem over and over every day from then on (until she moved out). But something unexpected came out of Kagura – it wasn't any error point-outs, but...

"Don't you think... the poem is almost – ALMOST the... you know... exact OPPOSITE of you father?"

Tohru let out a sigh while looking at her friend with disbelief, "How could you say that? That is not true at all!" She defended her father, "He was a wonderful human being!"

Kagura gave Tohru a very unsure look, "I'm happy that I got to live under the same roof as him, I'm happy that he was there when I was growing up – from my first word to my first step that I took, I'm happy that I was able to get to know how it was like to have a father, because a lot of people don't have a father... and now I get to feel how they felt all their lives."

"I wasn't happy that I started a war between us, but I'm happy I left my house," Tohru continued to speak, "I wasn't happy that he tried to trick me into coming back –

"Tried to trick you into coming back?" Kagura asked her, confused.

"You know the day he last called me?" asked Tohru. Kagura nodded, "He invited me to dinner, but he was really..."

"Oh..." said Kagura. She hadn't realized what really was going on in Tohru's life yet, and she probably never will. Tohru rarely says anything about her personal life, but the big news would spread eventually. She was very careful about her life, and wanted no one worrying about her with these little minor events – well to her they were minor, but to people like Kagura and Yuki – her mother, the ones who want to stay by her side no matter what she went through, don't find it minor at all.

"As I was saying..." Tohru began to talk again, "I wasn't happy that he tried tricked me into coming back, but I was happy that I came anyways."

_Can she get any more stranger? _Kagura thought as Tohru kept talking. It wasn't common to find people like her anymore. Someone who thinks so deeply with every situation, someone who is always trying her very best to look at the positive side of life whenever she could, and someone who won't stop until she gets what she wants.

"I remember... the night I left my home, I told my father that I would always live with the fact that I never had the love of a father." Tohru said quietly, but Kagura was still able to catch her words on time, "Now when I think of it... I now wonder: how stupid can I get? How was I able to say that even after everything he had done for me? I didn't feel that I really had the right to say that..."

"You are unbelievable!" Kagura suddenly exclaimed, which made Tohru jump in her seat in the bed, "Most kids these days get think their parents are horrible if they don't get them their favourite toy! But you... you are just unbelievable!"

Tohru didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or start an argument with Kagura. Was she really so unbelievable? "That's just how I feel... you know if there's something you believe and you feel that it is right, go ahead and do whatever your heart tells you to do."

"Oh shut up will you?" Kagura teased her while laughing, "Stop being so serious! You know to be very honest... I never thought you would be like... you know... who you are right now."

"What do you mean?" Tohru asked curiously.

"Well, I don't think you would be the Tohru you are right now." Kagura stated simply. Tohru was now staring at her as if she was crazy, but Kagura kept talking, completely unaware of her expressions, "I had this vision in my mind, judging from our childhood times, I really thought you would be this extremely kind and over-optimistic girl who would refuse to let anyone lift a finger for you. You would be this crazy working lover and you would always put yourself first before anyone! I really believe you would be like that!"

"Really?" asked Tohru, "Was I really someone like that?"

"No, I never said that..." corrected Kagura, "It was just a crazy prediction... but really – what has music done to you?"

Tohru couldn't help but laugh, and Kagura soon joined after her, "I mean, you are like a complete opposite of who I thought you would be! You are rebellious – in a good way, and you wouldn't stop at anything until you got what you wanted!"

"Rebellious in a good way?" asked Tohru, who finally stopped laughing (even though Kagura was still laughing away), "How is being rebellious good?"

"Well looking at you... you didn't make your hair crazy, or you didn't go against school, and you didn't really do anything against your parents. All you did was prove to us that you have a say in what you can be in your life, and because of that, I take you as a role model."

Kagura closed her last sentence with a smile, "I really mean that! You are one of those people who fight for a good reason, and you are still a kid!"

Tohru rolled her eyes, "Well, I'm not alone..."

A sudden knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Kagura stood up, "I'll be right back." She left the bedroom to open the door. A few minutes later, she came back in the room, "My parents are here!"

"Oh my!" gasped Tohru. She began to straighten out her hair with her hands, "Do I look okay?"

"Relax..." Kagura tried to reassure her, "Everything will be fine! I promise..."

**A/N: Okay... again I'm going to ask for favourites and follows and reviews! I am hearing from a bunch of new people, but I need more! What kind of a story has 173 reviews but only 15 favourites? COME ON! **

**Also, I would love to recommend a story that is written by a very good friend of mine and a wonderful human being, MissAquarius! **_**Replacing Tohru Honda **_**is a story that really makes people want to keep turning the pages to read more! So be sure to check that out!**

**New reviewers/favourites/follows: Sarah1100, Shodow98 (cool name!), may96, tiger276, and vampiertiger19. **


	18. Dinner with Oba and Oji

**A/N: Sorry... I made this huge mess and I haven't updated in over a month. I'm extremely sorry. I was going to let a friend continue this for me... but then I decided to write another chapter for all of you who have been fans of this story. I don't like any stories to be left unfinished. **

**I know that in the first few chapters, I did a horrible job, so I decided that I am going to do a lot better in the upcoming ones. So I hope all of you will continue to support me like you did before! :)**

A knock was to be heard at the door. Kagura went over to open the door, and found her parents standing in front of it. They were all smiling at her, "Hello Kagura!"

Kagura smiled back at them as they entered the house. Tohru was standing behind a wall, not knowing when she should come outside or not. Kagura and her parents were talking about certain things, but Tohru had no idea what they were saying to each other. She just kept quiet and stood behind the wall. She still felt bad about what happened between her and Yuki. Even though they still made up, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Her phone was in her pocket, but she debated whether to call him or not. She sighed, and made her move.

Putting the phone against her ear, and waited for him to pick up. She was still scared that he would be mad at her. He might not have showed it, but she still felt that she had closed all doors against him so that he couldn't enter. She felt so bad because of that... and she wanted to say sorry. "Hello?"

His voice could be heard through the phone. Tohru sighed of relief. She was scared that he wouldn't even pick up, because whenever he tried calling her, she wouldn't pick up. "Hello... Yuki?" She spoke quietly, and waited for him to say something.

"Hey..." Yuki responded, making Tohru a bit sad. He didn't sound very happy, like he used to. She didn't feel that love in his voice anymore – she felt as if it just disappeared so suddenly. Tohru didn't know what to say anymore... but began to shed a few tears, "Yuki... I'm really sorry for doing that to you!"

Yuki didn't say anything for a moment, which made Tohru cry more. Her cries were soft so no one could hear them. Kagura was busy talking to her parents, but she could feel that Yuki noticed her crying. She was right... "Are you alright Tohru?"

"No I'm not..." she responded. Her tears wouldn't stop, even though she tried really hard to stop them, "I ignored you when you wanted to help me! I'm really sorry! Please don't be mad at me!" She began to wipe her tears away, but continued weeping. Yuki tried to be there for her in her time of need, but she ignored him. Not just him... but so many other people who wanted to help her cope with her father's demise, but she felt as if she hurt him the most. She knew how much he loved and cared about her, and she did also, but she just turned her back on him. Yuki, who was on the other line, began to smile, "It's alright... I'm not mad. I knew what you were going through..."

To finally hear his sweet words – it made Tohru stop crying. It brought a little hint of a smile to her face, and her tears stopped flowing. He wasn't mad at her...? But why would he not be? She was horrible to him... but she was still happy that he wasn't nonetheless. "Thank you..."

Tohru heard a small laugh from the phone, "Thank you for what?"

"Thank you for being there for me," Tohru began to say, "Thank you for embracing me when there was no one to reach out for. Thank you for holding my hand when I couldn't reach out to anyone else's. Thank you for loving me, and thank you for caring about me."

"Why would you thank me?" Yuki asked her gently, while still smiling, "Remember this: I will always be there for you no matter what you go through. You can tell me anything, and I will try and help you feel better." His words were like music to her ears... even when he didn't sing. She truly loved him – more than he knew. She would probably die right now if he didn't pick the call up. He was just too important to her and her life.

She suddenly heard Kagura call her, "Tohru, hurry up! Dinner's ready!" Tohru sighed, "Yuki... I have to go. Kagura's parents are here and I haven't had a chance to talk to them." She was about to hang up, but Yuki stopped her, "Wait! I have a question!"

"What is it?"

"What was Kyo doing with you while you two were coming to Kagura's house?" That did it; Tohru began to laugh. Yuki looked shocked, "What did I say?"

"Nothing..." Tohru replied back while still laughing, "I have to go! I'll speak to you later!"

"But won't you answer my –

"I'll answer it later. I really have to go or Kagura will be furious with me. Bye!" Tohru hung up, still laughing. She didn't expect him to ask her this question. He did look a bit jealous, but maybe he didn't want to show it in front of everyone. She turned her phone off and put it in her pocket. But as she was about to meet Kagura's parents, she found Kagura herself storming up towards her.

"Where have you been?!" she boomed at a wide-eyed Tohru, "I've been calling you for ages?!" Tohru smiled nervously, "I'm sorry. I called Yuki... so..."

"Oh..." Kagura's voice calmed down, "That's alright then! Come, meet my parents! They have been waiting for you too!" Kagura grabbed Tohru's hand and dragged her to the living room where her parents were. As soon as they got there, Tohru stood completely still. Both of them got off from the couch, and smiled at her, "Hello Tohru! It's been a while since we last saw you! You were this small!" Her mother said as she lowered her hand to the ground, indication how small Tohru was when they last saw her. Tohru smiled nervously – that was why she was nervous; it's been quite a while since they last saw each other. "Hello... umm..."

"Why don't you ever call me Oba?" Kagura's mother folded her arms and gave her a playful frown, "I really wanted you to! Stop referring to me as Mrs.!"

Her father also stepped forward, "Yeah... it would be nice if you referred to me as Oji too." He then smiled sweetly, "Come on... we aren't strangers anymore."

Tohru smiled, as she ran into their opened arms. Both of them hugged her at the same time, while Kagura stood behind them, smiling. "Thank you Oba and Oji..." she said as they broke apart. Tohru looked as if she would burst into tears again, but she resisted herself. To get that love back again from someone who isn't even family... it felt amazing.

So... why don't we get ready for dinner?" Kagura piped happily out of nowhere. Tohru looked at her and smiled, "Yes we should!"

* * *

"So Tohru..." Oba said as they were eating, "I remembered you singing a song to me in Hindi when you were about... ten years old?" Tohru laughed softly as Oba kept talking, "I didn't understand a word of it, but I loved it nonetheless! Do you still sing and write in Hindi?"

"You know what..." Tohru placed her chopsticks down on her plate, "I guess I forgot how to now. It's been a while since I last wrote a song like that and –

"What you forget easily?" Kagura interrupted Tohru while looking shocked, "You forgot how to write Hindi songs? Mo god,.." She placed a hand over her forehead, "How could you?"

Tohru shrugged, "It's been a while. I guess I lost interest. I want to move on to other genres and such. I could do playback singing though."

"Playback singing?" Oji asked.

"Yeah," Tohru began to explain, "When there is an Indian film being made, there is a soundtrack along with them. Most Indian films have that, and there is a composer that composes the songs, a lyricist that writes the lyrics, and different singers that record the songs. They are called playback singers. I would love to be a playback singer in Indian cinema. You have the song composed and written for you! All you have to do is sing it and you're done!"

"That sounds interesting!" Oba exclaimed. She actually wanted to apologize for her father's demise. She and Oji heard about it not too long ago, and they couldn't reach out for Tohru. She, however, decided to not bring it up. She even warned Oji not to bring it up either. She heard how much Tohru suffered and cried... she didn't want to see her like that anymore. They were supposed to have a nice family dinner, and the last thing anyone wanted to do was ruin it.

"So Kagura..." Oji started to speak. Kagura looked towards him, waiting for him to speak again, "I heard you were dating this boy named Kyo." Kagura went silent for a moment, completely forgetting that she hadn't told her parent about her and Kyo yet.

"Interesting chemistry..." Oba stated while smiling, "I saw his picture, and I think he looks really interesting. Orange hair and red eyes... interesting. I think you make a nice couple."

Kagura blushed, while Tohru added playfully, "Honey, you could romance with a cow and make it look like chemistry!" She finished while laughing really hard while Kagura's jaw dropped, "What are you trying to say? That I'm a cow?!"

"No no no..." Tohru tried to reassure her, "Not you. I meant the guys."

"So you're saying that we are cows?" Oji asked with his eyebrow raised.

"Yes."

Before he knew it, the two girls had their hands in tangle and were laughing. Even Oba joined them patting her husband's shoulders, "Sometimes you can be a cow..."

A little while later of not reacting in any way, Oji started laughing too.

**So... asking for support again! Please please please! I need faves, follows, and reviews! PLEASE! Tell me if I improved my writing or do I still need to work on it more? ^-^ **


	19. Bad Dreams

**A/N: Thank you all so much for welcoming this story again! (: It has been one of my favourites and I want to keep working on it no matter how much of my time it would take up. I broke into the 200 review group! Thank you all! My goal was... I think 250. Only 50 more to go! You can give me a one word review if you want also; if you think it's quicker! xD I also want to know if I have any fans, so if you are a fan of me, don't hesitate to PM me! This chappie is dedicated to a dear friend of mine: The Character's Death!**

**I want to thank all my reviewers who have reviewed ever since Chapter 18 came out! **

Tohru was lying down in bed, but couldn't fall asleep. The dinner with Oji and Oba was a lot of fun; they had a nice conversation, and it was like a family. Kagura was fast asleep, but she wasn't sure about her parents. She saw lights flickering out her door, and she slowly got off from her bed. She quietly tried to make her way out the door without waking Kagura up, and left the bedroom as quickly as she could. She put on her slippers and fixed her brown pyjama top, and made her way to the living room.

She could hear a bit of a noise, and she assumed that is was from the TV. When she entered the living room, she surprisingly found Oba sitting on the couch and watching television. She looked at a confused Tohru, and smiled. "Couldn't sleep either?" Tohru shook her head and Oba extended a hand towards her, "Why don't you join me? It's getting a bit boring when you are by yourself." Tohru smiled and reached for her hand, and Oba dragged her towards the couch and Tohru sat next to her. She rested her head on Oba's shoulder and faced the TV. It was playing a Japanese drama... and Tohru wasn't a huge fan of dramas.

Oba, somehow reading her mind, changed the channel to the news. Tohru smiled again, and looked at her, "You knew that I didn't like dramas... did you?"

"I knew that for a while now..." she smiled at Tohru and began to stroke her hair. "Tohru... will you tell me something," Tohru nodded her head and listened to whatever Oba had to ask her, "Why did you leave home?"

Her question made Tohru go silent, while Oba looked at her curiously. She had heard from Kagura that she had left home because of issues between her and Katsuya... but she needed to know why she felt that it was the right decision. Oba would never imagine doing that in her life... and for such a small reason. But maybe the reason wasn't so small for Tohru. Tohru was someone who was headstrong and fiercely independent... but what led her to make this decision?

"Well..." Tohru started off, kind of shaky, "I went by gut. I didn't know if it was the right choice then, but I felt that it needed to be done." Oba looked confused, "Why did you feel that it needed to be done?"

"I didn't think that my father liked the way I am today," Tohru tried to explain it a bit better to Oba, "I felt that he hadn't excepted me yet, even though I have lived with him my whole life. He didn't appreciate the attitude I had towards my future and he didn't like most of the decisions I made. I thought that the both of us had enough and I needed to just leave it all behind."

Oba went wide-eyed. She never thought that Tohru would ever find the guts to mention her late father anymore. Tohru had gone through such a rough phase through her life in the recent few weeks when her father passed away, but why was she so depressed after that incident? She didn't have the best relationship with her father – most of them knew that, then why was she so upset when he left? Oba could understand that she would've been sad, but why this much? So much that Tohru would go to his grave every day – or even twice a day, to put a new bouquet of flowers?

"I know that my father and I weren't really friendly with each other ever since I got into singing, but he was my father. I shouldn't have behaved so rudely with him. He _did _want the best for me, but as I said, nobody in this world knows me better than myself. I know what I must do, and I know the right decisions to keep me happy and make me feel great. I respected him... even today I still do."

Oba smiled as Tohru again rested her head on her shoulder, "I know that he isn't here anymore... but he will... always be... a part of... my life..."

Her eyes began to close... and before she knew it, she was fast asleep while resting her head on Oba's shoulders. Oba smiled once more, and slowly got off the sofa, being very careful not to wake up Tohru or to get her hurt. She placed a pillow underneath her head which was next to the couch, and she wrapped a blanket on her from the closet that was not far from the living room. She turned the TV off and closed all the lights, going to bed herself.

_The park was full of people – but Tohru only had her eyes for Yuki, He told her that he would be here, waiting for her, but he was nowhere to be seen. She tried phoning him, but he wouldn't pick up. She tried calling his name over and over as loud as she could, but he wouldn't show up. Tohru began to worry; what if something happened to him? She kept bumping into random people, but none of them were Yuki. She searched and searched... everywhere she could, but there was still no sign of him._

_After a while, her eyes fell on top of a boy with beautiful silky silver hair and gorgeous amethyst eyes. A gentle smile was placed on his lips, and he had a strikingly handsome face. There was no questioning who that was... "Yuki!"_

_She called for him once, but he didn't hear her. She called again, but he didn't look back at her. She tried to get closer, calling his name over and over, but it was no use at all. No matter how close she would go, he wouldn't be able to hear her. Then, however, her eyes met with a different person. Brown hair and eyes... she looked really familiar. Where did Tohru see her before? She noticed Yuki saying something, and tried to listen carefully despite all the noise from the crowd, "Machi..."_

_Tohru stopped in her tracks. Machi? What was she doing here? More importantly, what was she doing here with Yuki? He hated her... didn't he?_

"_Machi..." Tohru heard Yuki say again. Machi looked at him with loving eyes, which made Tohru even more confused. What was going on? Yuki seemed to have gotten closer to Machi, and he said, "I've always loved you... and only you."_

"NOO!"

Tohru screamed from the top of her lungs. Her heart was beating ten times faster than before, and her blood was rushing faster in her veins and arteries. She was breathing heavily, and she eyed the room furiously, finding no one there. She was on the couch, in the living room, and it was eleven o'clock in the morning.

"Tohru! Are you okay?" Kagura came rushing out of the kitchen, looking worried. She had a spatula in her hand, and she looked at Tohru with a concerned look, "What happened? You scared the hell out of me!"

She was still breathing heavily, and looked at Kagura with a panicked expression. Kagura went over to sit beside Tohru, "What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream or something?" she asked once again.

Tohru tried to calm herself down with deep breaths, and slowly – but shakily, nodded her head, "I'll be fine... I j-just..."

She got up from the sofa, followed by Kagura, "I just need some fresh air." With that, she left the living room to get dressed. Kagura still looked a bit worried. She didn't completely buy the lie that Tohru told her, but she refused to tell her what was wrong. Tohru got dressed in a plain white T-shirt and a black skirt and came out to go outside, "Aren't you going to eat anything?" Kagura called to her before she got a chance to leave.

Tohru shook her head, "I'm not hungry. I'll eat later..." she said with a smile and opened the door, leaving.

That dream seemed so real; was it some kind of a warning? Tohru refused to think that Yuki would do something like that to her... and especially with Machi. She knew how much he hated her, and she knew that there was no way that he would go near her... but... it was all so real. Tohru felt a little dizzy as she kept walking down the sidewalks... but she tried to reassure herself that nothing like that would happen between the two of them.

She felt her cell phone vibrate in her skirt pocket, and when she turned it on to see who messaged her, Yuki's name flashed across the screen. Tohru felt her hands freeze – somehow the mention of Yuki made her freeze suddenly. Was it the dream? But she couldn't let something that wasn't even true get to her. She couldn't let a silly dream make things awkward between her and Yuki.

She read the text message – _If you want to, we could meet by the lake again at noon. _She checked the time – 11:45. She could manage. She smiled and texted him 'yes', and went off to the lake.

**A/N: Well hello there! I hope you liked the chappie! I actually need your help here with a few stories that I started. I don't know which one to continue... will you help me choose?**

**A Love Gone Wrong: **Kyo Sohma, depressed after breaking up with Kagura, asks his cousin Yuki to find a bride for him. Yuki then comes across a kind and energetic Tohru, whom he met five years ago on a high school trip. The more time he spent with her... the more he felt happier. He was not sure why though. Was it his imagination, or was Yuki Sohma falling for his cousin's soon-to-be bride?

**When We Met: **Yuki and Tohru meet unexpectedly - both of them with their own problems. Yuki's girlfriend left him for someone else and Tohru ran away from home to escape her arranged marriage, and to marry her secret boyfriend. A friendship blossoms between them, but when the two finally part ways, things just don't seem right...

**Meeting Again:** I didn't feel like looking at him anymore... but why did it hurt so much? He was dating Machi, and she was the girl who he was in love with. Then why would I rush back home without waiting for him and cry endlessly in my bedroom? Why would I keep crying all night until it drifted me to sleep? I was carrying a broken heart... because before I knew it, I was in love with him.

**Review or PM me and tell me which story you like the most. All three of them have two chapters updated… so if you want to, you can read them as well. Don't forget to review this story also!**

**Until next time! ^-^**


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